patchouli

American  

[pach-oo-lee, puh-choo-lee] / ˈpætʃ ʊ li, pəˈtʃu li /

Or pachouli,

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.

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patchouli British  

/ pəˈtʃuːlɪ, ˈpætʃʊlɪ /

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

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Etymology

Origin of patchouli

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

Example Sentences

To make my own, I alchemized a potpourri of sandalwood, hinoki wood, palo santo, mint, patchouli and tachibana orange.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Of the blends, there’s Iré Ayé, which mixes patchouli, palo santo, frankincense powder and dragon’s blood, ingredients that together “manifest monetary abundance and encourage a magical rain of riches.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2022

She gamely wandered the aisles — which smelled, in a turn towards caricature, like patchouli incense — and packed a basket of overpriced ingredients that we could have gotten at the Kroger down the block.

From Salon • Mar. 3, 2022

The three biggest sellers, says manager Indra Morella, are nag champa incense, patchouli oil and its Sinus Blaster tincture throat spray, blending osha root, elderberry and horseradish, among others.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 21, 2021

There was a faint reek of body odor and patchouli.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart