perfume

See also: perfumé

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French parfum, from the obsolete Italian parfumare (“to smoke through”). Doublet of parfum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɜːfjuːm/
• pûr'fyo͞om", IPA^(key): /ˈpɝfjuːm/ or enPR: pər-fyoo͞m', IPA^(key): /pɚˈfjuːm/
• :

• (noun) IPA^(key): /ˈpɚfjuːm/
• (verb) IPA^(key): /pɚˈfjuːm/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

perfume (countable and uncountable, plural perfumes)

1. A pleasant smell; the scent, odor, or odoriferous particles emitted from a sweet-smelling substance; a pleasant odor
   • Template:RQ:Chmbrs YngrSt

     Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarlet flames athwart the pines.

2. A substance created to provide a pleasant smell or one which emits an agreeable odor.
   • 2014 March 7, Nicole Vulser, “Perfume manufacturers must cope with the scarcity of precious supplies”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 190, number 13, page 30:

     The perfume industry is facing a major problem: maintaining constant levels of quality is crucial, but it is increasingly difficult to obtain a regular supply of all the necessary natural ingredients.

Synonyms

• (pleasant smell): aroma, fragrance, scent
• (substance providing a pleasant smell): fragrance, scent

Derived terms

• acoustic perfume
• perfumelike
• perfumey

Translations

pleasant smell

• Albanian: aromë (sq) f
• Arabic: أَرِيج m (ʔarīj), عَبِير m (ʕabīr), شَذًا m (šaḏan), عِطْر m (ʕiṭr), شَذًى‎ m (šaḏan)

  Hijazi Arabic: عِطِر m (ʿiṭir)

• Armenian: բույր (hy) (buyr), անուշահոտություն (hy) (anušahotutʻyun), բուրմունք (hy) (burmunkʻ)
• Belarusian: во́дар m (vódar), арама́т m (aramát), пах m (pax)
• Bulgarian: благоуха́ние (bg) n (blagouhánie), арома́т (bg) m (aromát)
• Burmese: ရနံ့ (my) (ra.nam.), အမွှေး (my) (a.hmwe:), ရေမွှေး (my) (rehmwe:)
• Catalan: perfum (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 香味 (hoeng¹ mei⁶), 芬芳 (fan¹ fong¹), 香氣／香气 (hoeng¹ hei³), 香气 (hoeng¹ hei³)

  Hakka: 香味 (hiông-mi), 香氣／香气, 香气 (hiông-hi)

  Mandarin: 香味 (zh) (xiāngwèi), 芬芳 (zh) (fēnfāng), 香氣／香气 (zh) (xiāngqì), 香气 (zh) (xiāngqì), 芳味 (zh) (fāngwèi), 芳氣／芳气 (zh) (fāngqì), 芳气 (zh) (fāngqì), 芬郁 (zh) (fēnyù), 芳澤／芳泽 (zh) (fāngzé), 芳泽 (zh) (fāngzé), 芬香 (zh) (fēnxiāng)

  Min Nan: 芳味 (zh-min-nan) (phang-bī), 芳氣／芳气, 芳气 (phang-khì)

• Czech: vůně (cs) f
• Dutch: parfum (nl) n
• Finnish: tuoksu (fi)
• French: parfum (fr) m, fragrance (fr) f
• German: Duft (de) m
• Greek: άρωμα (el) n (ároma), ευωδιά (el) f (evodiá)

  Ancient: εὐωδία f (euōdía)

• Hindi: इत्र (hi) (itra), अतर (hi) (atar), महक (hi) f (mahak), सुगंध (hi) m (sugandh), ख़ुशबू f (xuśbū)
• Hungarian: illat (hu)
• Iban: angit
• Icelandic: ilmur (is) m
• Italian: profumo (it) m
• Japanese: 香り (ja) (かおり, kaori), 香気 (ja) (こうき, kōki)
• Khmer: គន្ធ (km) (kŭən)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 향기 (ko) (hyanggi) (香氣 (ko))
• Lao: ຄັນທະ (khan tha), ຄັນຫາ (khan hā), ສຸຄົນ (su khon)
• Latin: odor
• Latvian: aromāts m, smarža f
• Lithuanian: aromatas m, kvepėjimas m
• Luxembourgish: Doft m, Geroch m
• Macedonian: мирис m (miris), а́рома f (ároma)
• Maltese: fwieħa f
• Maori: kakara
• Mongolian: анхилга (mn) (anxilga)
• Norwegian: duft (no), aroma (no), godlukt
• Old English: æþelstenċ m, wyrtbrǣþ m
• Persian: عطر (fa) ('atr)
• Polish: woń (pl) f, zapach (pl) m
• Portuguese: fragrância (pt) f, perfume (pt) m, cheiro (pt) m
• Russian: благоуха́ние (ru) n (blagouxánije), арома́т (ru) m (aromát)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: арома f

  Roman: aroma (sh) f

• Slovak: vôňa f
• Slovene: vonjava f
• Spanish: aroma (es) m
• Thai: กลิ่นหอม (glìn-hɔ̌ɔm)
• Ukrainian: арома́т (uk) m (aromát)
• Urdu: خوشبو f (xuśbū)
• Vietnamese: mùi thơm, hương thơm (vi), hương vị (vi)

substance providing a pleasant smell

• Albanian: parfum (sq) m
• Arabic: أَرِيج m (ʔarīj), شَذًا m (šaḏan), عِطْر m (ʕiṭr)

  Egyptian Arabic: برفان m (barfān), برفانات f pl (barfānāt)

• Armenian: օծանելիք (hy) (ōcanelikʻ)
• Azerbaijani: ətir (az)
• Belarusian: духі́ n pl (duxí), парфу́ма f (parfúma) (colloquial)
• Bengali: সুগন্ধি (śugondhi)
• Bulgarian: парфю́м (bg) m (parfjúm)
• Catalan: perfum (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 香水 (hoeng¹ seoi²)

  Hakka: 香水 (hiông-súi)

  Mandarin: 香水 (zh) (xiāngshuǐ)

  Min Dong: 香水 (hiông-súi)

  Min Nan: 芳水 (zh-min-nan) (phang-chúi)

  Wu: 香水 (xian sr)

• Czech: parfém (cs) m, voňavka f
• Danish: perfume
• Dutch: parfum (nl) n
• Esperanto: parfumo
• Estonian: parfüüm
• Finnish: hajuste, hajuvesi (fi), parfyymi (fi)
• French: parfum (fr) m
• Georgian: არომატი (aromaṭi), სურნელება (surneleba)
• German: Parfüm (de) n, Duftstoff (de) m, Parfum (de) n
• Greek: άρωμα (el) n (ároma)

  Ancient: μύρον n (múron)

• Hebrew: בושם / בֹּשֶׂם (he) m (bósem)
• Hindi: ख़ुशबू f (xuśbū)
• Hungarian: parfüm (hu), illatszer (hu)
• Icelandic: ilmvatn (is) n
• Indonesian: parfum (id), minyak wangi (id)
• Irish: cumhrán (ga) m
• Italian: profumo (it) m
• Japanese: 香水 (こうすい, kōsui)
• Kazakh: әтір (kk) (ätır)
• Khmer: គន្ធរស (kŏənthĕəʼrŭəh)
• Korean: 향수 (ko) (hyangsu) (香水 (ko))
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Kyrgyz: атыр (ky) (atır), духи (duhi)
• Lao: ນ້ຳອົບ (nam ʼop)
• Latin: unguentum n, costum n
• Latvian: parfīms m
• Lithuanian: kvepalai pl
• Luxembourgish: Parfum m
• Macedonian: парфе́м m (parfém), ми́рис m (míris)
• Malay: minyak wangi, minyak attar
• Mongolian: сүрчиг (mn) (sürčig)
• Navajo: tó łikání halchiní
• Ngazidja Comorian: marashi class 6
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: parfyme (no) m

  Nynorsk: parfyme m

• Old English: wyrtġemang n
• Persian: عطر (fa) ('atr)
• Polish: perfumy (pl) pl
• Portuguese: perfume (pt) m
• Russian: духи́ (ru) m pl (duxí), парфю́м (ru) m (parfjúm) (colloquial)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: парфем m

  Roman: parfem (sh) m

• Slovak: vôňa f, voňavka f
• Slovene: parfum (sl) m
• Spanish: perfume (es) m
• Swahili: marashi (sw)
• Swedish: parfym (sv) c
• Tagalog: pabango
• Tajik: атр (atr)
• Thai: น้ำหอม (th) (náam-hɔ̌ɔm)
• Tok Pisin: sanda
• Turkish: parfüm (tr)
• Turkmen: atyr (tk)
• Ukrainian: духи́ n pl (duxý), парфу́м m (parfúm)
• Urdu: خوشبو (xuśbū)
• Uyghur: ئەتىر (etir)
• Uzbek: atir (uz), duxi
• Vietnamese: nước thơm, nước hoa (vi)
• Welsh: peraroglau m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• (deprecated template usage) Bulgarian: благоухание (bg) n (blagouhanie) (1), парфюм (bg) m (parfjum) (1,2)
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} parfumo
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} parfüm (tr)

Verb

1. (transitive) To apply perfume to; to fill or impregnate with a perfume; to scent.

Translations

to apply perfume to

• Arabic: عَطَّرَ (ʕaṭṭara)
• Bulgarian: парфюмирам (parfjumiram)
• Czech: navonět, naparfémovat
• Dutch: parfumeren (nl)
• Finnish: hajustaa, parfymoida
• French: parfumer (fr)
• Galician: perfumar (gl)
• German: parfümieren (de)
• Greek: αρωματίζω (el) (aromatízo)
• Hebrew: בישם (bisém)
• Hungarian: illatosít (hu), beparfümöz
• Ido: moskizar (io), parfumizar (io)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: profumare (it)
• Luxembourgish: parfüméieren
• Macedonian: намирисува (namirisuva), парфими́ра (parfimíra)
• Maori: whakakakara
• Polish: perfumować (pl)
• Portuguese: perfumar (pt)
• Russian: души́ть (ru) (dušítʹ), надуши́ть (ru) (nadušítʹ)
• Slovene: parfumirati
• Spanish: perfumar (es)
• Swedish: parfymera
• Vietnamese: xịt nước thơm (vào)

Related terms

• perfumed
• perfumery

References

• “perfume”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

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Portuguese

Noun

perfume m (plural perfumes)

1. perfume (substance providing a pleasant smell)

Verb

perfume

1. Template:pt-verb-form-of

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Spanish

Etymology

Nominal of perfumar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /peɾˈfume/ [peɾˈfu.me]

Noun

perfume m (plural perfumes)

1. perfume

Synonyms

• olor
• aroma
• fragancia

Related terms

• perfumar
• perfumería
• perfumero
• perfumista

Verb

perfume

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of perfumar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of perfumar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of perfumar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of perfumar.