enfleurage

American  

[ahn-fluh-rahzh, ahn-flœ-razh] / ˌɑ̃ fləˈrɑʒ, ɑ̃ flœˈraʒ /

noun

1. a process of extracting perfumes by exposing inodorous oils or fats to the exhalations of flowers.

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enfleurage British  

/ ɑ̃flœraʒ /

noun

1. the process of exposing odourless oils to the scent of fresh flowers, used in perfume-making

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Etymology

Origin of enfleurage

1850–55; < French, equivalent to enfleur ( er ) to impregnate with scent of flowers ( en- en- ¹ + -fleurer, derivative of fleur flower ) + -age -age

Example Sentences

And it takes ancient skills and a Merlin's genius to produce just the right oils once the flower is ripe for its "enfleurage."

From Time Magazine Archive

Heliotrope.—Either by maceration or enfleurage with clarified fat, we may obtain this fine odor from the flowers of the Heliotrope Peruvianum or H. grandiflorum.

From The Art of Perfumery And Methods of Obtaining the Odors of Plants by Piesse, George William Septimus

Descending to the cellar—the coolest part of the building—we find the simple apparatus used in the process of enfleurage.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 643, April 28, 1888 by Various

This apparatus is said to facilitate the turning out of nearly twenty times the amount of pomade for the same number of frames and the same time, as the old process of "enfleurage."

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 288, July 9, 1881 by Various

Another method of extracting the scent of flowers is by enfleurage, which takes advantage of the tendency of fats to absorb odors.

From Creative Chemistry Descriptive of Recent Achievements in the Chemical Industries by Slosson, Edwin E.