perfume: [16] The -fume of perfume is the same word as English fumes, but whereas fumes has gone downhill semantically, perfume has remained in the realms of pleasant odours. It comes from French parfum, a derivative of the verb parfumer. This was borrowed from early Italian parfumare, a compound formed from the prefix par- ‘through’ and fumare ‘smoke’, which denoted a ‘pervading by smoke’. When it first arrived in English, the semantic element ‘burning’ was still present, and perfume denoted the ‘fumes produced by burning a substance, such as incense’, but this gradually dropped out in favour of the more general ‘pleasant smell’. => fume
perfume (n.)
1530s, "fumes from a burning substance," from Middle French parfum (16c.), from parfumer "to scent," from Old Proven?al perfumar or cognate words in dialectal Italian (perfumare) or Spanish (perfumar), from Latin per- "through" (see per) + fumare "to smoke" (see fume (n.)). Meaning "fluid containing agreeable essences of flowers, etc.," is attested from 1540s.
perfume (v.)
1530s, "to fill with smoke or vapor," from perfume (n.) or from Middle French parfumer. Meaning "to impart a sweet scent to" is from 1530s. Related: Perfumed; perfuming.
雙語例句
1. As she went past there was a gust of strong perfume.
她走過時有一股濃烈的香水味。
來自柯林斯例句
2. There were two lemon trees and I paused to enjoy their perfume.
那里有兩棵檸檬樹，我不禁駐足品味檸檬的芬芳。
來自柯林斯例句
3. She dabbed a drop of the musky perfume behind each ear.
她在兩耳后分別擦上一小滴麝香香水。
來自柯林斯例句
4. Amy thought she caught the faintest drift of Isabel's flowery perfume.
埃米覺得她聞到了伊莎貝爾身上飄出的一絲極微弱的花香味香水的味道。
來自柯林斯例句
5. He sniffed the perfume she wore, then gave her a quick survey.