patchouli

or pach·ou·li, patch·ou·ly

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

/ ˈpætʃ ʊ li, pəˈtʃu li /

noun

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

a penetrating perfume made from this oil.

Nearby words

patch test, patch up, patch-up, patchen, patchogue, patchouli, patchstand, patchwork, patchy, patd, patd.

Origin of patchouli

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for patchouli

I could smell the patchouli oil he was wearing as well as the incense that was burning in the studio.
When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More|Gary Wright|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She would go into ecstasies on breathing in the patchouli and vetiver used for Cashmere shawls.
My Private Menagerie|Theophile Gautier
No matter if the scent of patchouli became slightly mixed with the smell of leather.
The Green Book|Mr Jkai
Through the air was wafted the cheap and stifling scent of patchouli.
The Convert|Elizabeth Robins

Your remarks remind me of the morning odour of patchouli and stale smoke in a cheap Quartier Latin dancing-room.
Mysterious Mr. Sabin|E. Phillips Oppenheim
Little Morlot began the endless tale of his conquests in more civilized lands: all patchouli and hair-oil.
The Best Short Stories of 1921 and the Yearbook of the American Short Story|Various

British Dictionary definitions for patchouli

patchouli

pachouli or patchouly

/ (ˈpætʃʊlɪ, pəˈtʃuːlɪ) /

noun

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

the perfume made from this oil

Word Origin for patchouli

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