Fragrance

How to spell fragrance

9 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce fragrance

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does fragrance mean?

1. nounA pleasant, sweet smell, or a perfume that produces one.

Fragrance in a sentence

• The fragrance of fresh coffee filled the kitchen each morning.

• She sprayed a light fragrance on her wrists before the interview.

Where does fragrance come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb fragrare, which meant 'to emit a sweet smell' or 'to be fragrant'. From that verb came the noun fragrantia, describing a sweet-smelling quality. English picked it up in the early 1600s, most likely through French fragrance, which carried the same meaning. The spelling preserves both of the r sounds from the original Latin root, and that buried second r, sitting before the -ance ending, is exactly the spot where careful writers slip. It also helps to remember that the ending is -ance rather than -ence, matching its close relative 'fragrant'.

How the word is built

• fragr- (from Latin fragrare: to smell sweet)
• -ance (noun-forming suffix)