[ 'pə:fju:m ]
■ noun
1》 a fragrant liquid typically made from essential oils, used to impart a pleasant smell to one's body or clothes.
2》 a pleasant smell.
■ verb also pə'fju:m
1》 impart a pleasant smell to.
2》 impregnate with ~ or a sweet-smelling ingredient.
↘apply ~ to.
Derivatives
~d adjective
perfumy adjective
Origin
C16 (orig. denoting pleasant-smelling smoke from a substance used in fumigation): from Fr. parfum (n.), parfumer (v.), from obs. Ital. parfumare , lit. 'to smoke through'.