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attar

American  
[at-er, -ahr] / ˈæt ər, -ɑr /

noun

  1. Also atar athar ottar otto a perfume or essential oil obtained from flowers or petals.

  2. Also called attar of roses,.  Also called otto of roses.  rose oil.

attar British  
/ ˈɒtə, ˈɒtəʊ, ˈætə /

noun

  1. an essential oil from flowers, esp the damask rose, used pure or as a base for perfume

    attar of roses
"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

Etymology

Origin of attar

First recorded in 1790–1800; short for Persian 'atar-gūl “attar of roses,” akin to ʿatara “to smell sweet,” ʿiṭr “fragrance” (from Arabic )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His show features eight animated paintings inspired by a 12th-century poem by Farid-al-din Attar about finding unity, “The Conference of the Birds.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

The Bellingham Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 10th year with Maestro Yaniv Attar in an exciting 2023-2024 season featuring pianist Einav Yarden, clarinetist Kinan Azmeh and many more virtuosos.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2023

Acclaimed Syrian playwright Mohammed Al Attar and Syrian writer Rasha Abbas said they would boycott the fair.

From Reuters • Oct. 17, 2023

Israel Attar, a 50-year-old Jerusalemite, rubbed his reddened eyes after burying his 23-year-old nephew, an army lieutenant who was killed in the first hours of the Hamas assault.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2023

The high opinion entertained of Mansur Hallaj by Fariduddin Attar, as seen in the above account, has been echoed by subsequent Sufi writers.

From Mystics and Saints of Islam by Field, Claud

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.