perfume: [16] The -fume of perfume is the same word as English fumes, but whereas fumes has gone downhill semantically, perfume has remained in the realms of pleasant odours. It comes from French parfum, a derivative of the verb parfumer. This was borrowed from early Italian parfumare, a compound formed from the prefix par- ‘through’ and fumare ‘smoke’, which denoted a ‘pervading by smoke’. When it first arrived in English, the semantic element ‘burning’ was still present, and perfume denoted the ‘fumes produced by burning a substance, such as incense’, but this gradually dropped out in favour of the more general ‘pleasant smell’. => fume
perfume (n.)
1530s, "fumes from a burning substance," from Middle French parfum (16c.), from parfumer "to scent," from Old Provençal perfumar or cognate words in dialectal Italian (perfumare) or Spanish (perfumar), from Latin per- "through" (see per) + fumare "to smoke" (see fume (n.)). Meaning "fluid containing agreeable essences of flowers, etc.," is attested from 1540s.
perfume (v.)
1530s, "to fill with smoke or vapor," from perfume (n.) or from Middle French parfumer. Meaning "to impart a sweet scent to" is from 1530s. Related: Perfumed; perfuming.
双语例句
1. As she went past there was a gust of strong perfume.
她走过时有一股浓烈的香水味。
来自柯林斯例句
2. There were two lemon trees and I paused to enjoy their perfume.
那里有两棵柠檬树，我不禁驻足品味柠檬的芬芳。
来自柯林斯例句
3. She dabbed a drop of the musky perfume behind each ear.
她在两耳后分别擦上一小滴麝香香水。
来自柯林斯例句
4. Amy thought she caught the faintest drift of Isabel's flowery perfume.
埃米觉得她闻到了伊莎贝尔身上飘出的一丝极微弱的花香味香水的味道。
来自柯林斯例句
5. He sniffed the perfume she wore, then gave her a quick survey.
