jasmine

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈd͡ʒæzmɪn/, /ˈd͡ʒæzmən/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French jasmin, earlier jassemin, jessemin,^[2][3][4][5] from Arabic ياسمين (yāsamīn),^[2][3][4][5] from Persian یاسمین (yāsmīn), یاسمن (yāsaman).^[2][3][6][7] Compare Ancient Greek ἰάσμη (iásmē), the name of a Persian perfume that was perhaps oil of jasmine.^[4][8] The variant jessamine represents the older French form.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The climbing shrub Jasminum officinale with fragrant white flowers (1562 in Merriam-Webster; 1578 in the OED and Barnhart; 1570s in Etymonline).^[5][9][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The plant was first grown in England in the 16th century.^[4] The name was extended to all species of the genus Jasminum (1578)^[9] and, with qualifying words, to fragrant plants of other genera, such as the Carolina jasmine (1760).^[9][2] From 1670 it also meant a perfume made from the flowers.^[9][2] As a colour name it is a light to brilliant yellow.^[2][10]

Timeline

• 1562 – first date in Merriam-Webster.^[5]
• 1578 – the genus Jasminum.^[9][3]
• 1670 – the perfume.^[9]
• 1760 – other fragrant plants.^[9]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Any of several shrubs or climbing plants of the genus Jasminum, of the olive family, with fragrant white, yellow or red flowers used in making perfume and flavouring tea.
2. The perfume obtained from these flowers.
3. Any of several other plants with fragrant flowers, such as the Carolina jasmine.
4. A light to brilliant yellow colour.

Word family

• jasmine tea

Related words

• jessamine
• gelsemium
• frangipani

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
8. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
9. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins