frangipani

[ fran-juh-pan-ee, -pah-nee ]

noun,plural fran·gi·pan·is, fran·gi·pan·i.
  1. a tree or shrub of the genus Plumeria, especially Plumeria rubra, or the flowers from this tree.

  2. a perfume prepared from or imitating the scent of the Plumeria rubra flower.

Origin of frangipani

1
First recorded in 1860–65; from French frangipane, after Marquis Muzio Frangipane or Frangipani a 16th-century Italian nobleman, the supposed inventor of the perfume

Words Nearby frangipani

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use frangipani in a sentence

  • After regaining her strength, Penguin eventually upgraded from a nest made out of a laundry basket and cotton fabric to a spot outside, in the frangipani tree in the family’s backyard.

  • I felt like snatching off my hat and waving it madly, hysterically, as frangipani and the others were doing.

    The Wasted Generation | Owen Johnson
  • The frangipani's eyes were away from Francesco, directed towards the green curtain that covered the dais door.

    The Hill of Venus | Nathan Gallizier
  • She felt strong enough to walk, only a slight bruise bearing witness to the frangipani's violence.

    The Hill of Venus | Nathan Gallizier
  • He heard the frangipani roar at him, spitting out a vile epithet, as he came charging up the hall, his eyes blazing with hate.

    The Hill of Venus | Nathan Gallizier
  • Giovanni frangipani saw a furious face glaring dead white from under the shadow of a shield.

    The Hill of Venus | Nathan Gallizier

British Dictionary definitions for frangipani

frangipani

/ (ˌfrændʒɪˈpɑːnɪ) /


nounplural -panis or -pani
  1. any tropical American apocynaceous shrub of the genus Plumeria, esp P. rubra, cultivated for its waxy typically white or pink flowers, which have a sweet overpowering scent

  2. a perfume prepared from this plant or resembling the odour of its flowers

  1. native frangipani Australian an Australian evergreen tree, Hymenosporum flavum, with large fragrant yellow flowers: family Pittosporaceae

Origin of frangipani

1
C17: via French from Italian: perfume for scenting gloves, named after the Marquis Muzio Frangipani, 16th-century Roman nobleman who invented it

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012