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

The candle, with its scent of wood and spices, is based on the brand’s fan-favorite Oud Wood fragrance, which has a rich woodsy scent featuring notes of cardamom, patchouli and amber.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2024

It will perfume your room with a blend of passion fruit, sparkling tea and patchouli for about 50 days.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 20, 2023

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

“A, B, C, vitamin D, vitamin D, vitamin D . . .” The Super-Vox-Wurlitzeriana had risen to a sobbing crescendo; and suddenly the verbena gave place, in the scent- circulating system, to an intense patchouli.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley