ˈfrāgrən(t)s noun
( -s )
Etymology: French or Latin; French, from Latin fragrantia, from fragrant-, fragrans + -ia -y
1. : the quality of state of having a sweet or pleasing odor : sweetness or pleasantness of smell
the fragrance of flowers
the fragrance of balsam
2.
a. : a sweet smell or pleasing odor especially delicate or evanescent
a fragrance not unpleasant to the nostrils
b. : the odor of perfume, cologne, or toilet water
as close as fragrance clings to a woman's robe — John Galsworthy
3.
a. : a quality resembling a perfume (as in pleasantness, delicacy, or evanescence or in seeming to be an emanation)
a relationship that gave something of fragrance to an occupation much in need of it — L.C.Douglas
she inhaled the sharp fragrance of those days — Maurice Hewlett
to handle a first edition of Montaigne … was not without its poetic fragrance — H.J.Laski
b. : something having such a quality
literature represents the fragrance of culture — W.P.Webb
Synonyms:
fragrance , perfume , scent , incense , redolence , and bouquet agree in signifying a sweet or pleasant odor. fragrance usually suggests the odor of flowers or a like pleasing and usually delicate emanation
the soft wind from across the bayou brought in the garden fragrance — Stark Young
their subtle fragrance of sandalwood, aloes, musk, cassia, and sweet calamus — Elinor Wylie
none can resist the fragrance of pines, firs, and spruces in the forest — A.C.Morrison
perfume differs little from fragrance except in possibly suggesting a less delicate odor and commonly implying the odor of a liquid specially manufactured to emit it
the perfume of lilies had overcome the scent of books — John Galsworthy
the strong perfume of orange blossoms
her perfume was heavy and cloying
scent in being often interchangeable with odor is more neutral in its connotations than fragrance or perfume , but in being also often interchangeable with perfume , especially in British use, can apply to the fragrance as of flowers or any delicately perceived, usually pleasant, odor
the still nights in the small harbors, with a scent of seaweed abroad — William Black
the scent of the apples — Robert Frost
a delicate scent of apricots lingered in the flask at his side — Elinor Wylie
incense applies to the agreeably odorous smoke of burning spices or aromatic gums or to any similar penetrating odor, often, because of the association of incense with religious rites, suggesting a spiritually uplifting effect
incense -breathing morn — Thomas Gray
the incense of mown fields
redolence now usually suggests a mixture of fragrant, often pungent odors
the redolence of the forest
the kitchen redolence of Christmas cooking and baking
bouquet in this comparison commonly applies to the distinctive and especially delicate and agreeable odor of a good wine or liquor but can extend to any odor, as of a food, suggesting this
some of the vocabulary of the winetaster has crept in, like the word bouquet, which means smell or scent, and yet is more descriptive of what the nose gets from a wine than either smell or scent — Mary Mabon
duck that has been hung a long time, so you can smell the bouquet — Time
the grateful smell of cooking pork grew every moment more perfect in bouquet — Ethel Anderson