patchouli

or pach·ou·li, patch·ou·ly

[ pach-oo-lee, puh-choo-lee ]

noun
  1. a plant, Pogostemon cablin, of tropical Asia, that yields a fragrant oil (patchouli oil ) used in the manufacture of perfumes.

  2. a penetrating perfume made from this oil.

Origin of patchouli

1
First recorded in 1835–45, patchouli is from the Tamil word paccuḷi

Words Nearby patchouli

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

How to use patchouli in a sentence

  • Pointing to Thomas, she sobbed into a purple silk handkerchief that smelled not faintly of patchouli.

    Lightnin' | Frank Bacon
  • The first thing that struck him on entering was the scent of patchouli, always distasteful to him.

    The World's Greatest Books, Vol VIII | Arthur Mee and J.A. Hammerton, Eds.

British Dictionary definitions for patchouli

patchouli

pachouli or patchouly

/ (ˈpætʃʊlɪ, pəˈtʃuːlɪ) /


noun
  1. any of several Asiatic trees of the genus Pogostemon, the leaves of which yield a heavy fragrant oil: family Lamiaceae (labiates)

  2. the perfume made from this oil

Origin of patchouli

1
C19: from Tamil paccilai, from paccu green + ilai leaf

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