perfume

Forms

perfume m (plural perfumes)^[1]

Etymology

It is a deverbal noun from Spanish perfumar (“to perfume, fumigate”).^[2][1][3][4] The DLE and Wiktionary form the verb from Latin per- (“through”) and fūmō (“to smoke”), and DICCA-XV takes it from a Latin compound with the sense “to fumigate with healing herbs”.^[5][6] García de Diego derives it from Occitan perfumar.^[4] The Latin verb is from fūmus (“smoke”), the source of humo.^[3][6]

Autoridades explained the name by the preposition and the word for smoke, and Covarrubias by the fragrant smoke of the burning paste.^[7][8] The corresponding words are French parfum and Italian profumo.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The noun first appears in a Bible translation of about 1400 (Real Academia de la Historia, ms. 87), for incense burnt to gods: ante los quales ellos perfumes ssolian poner “before whom they used to set perfumes”.^[10] A treatise on the plague of 1410 orders fumigations: faganse los perfumes.^[10] The verb perfumar is older, from 1376–1396.^[11] Corominas dates the noun from Nebrija.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The first sense was an aromatic matter that gives off fragrant smoke when put on the fire;^[7][8] Autoridades names benzoin, storax and amber, and adds the smoke or smell itself and, ironically, a bad smell.^[7][8] Terreros also has the ironic sense.^[9] In 1884 the Academy added, as figurative, any pleasant smell.^[12] Today the main sense is the scented substance, usually a liquid, used to give a good smell.^[2][13] Baralt warned in 1855 that the plural does not always render the French parfums.^[14]

Timeline

• 1376–1396 – first record of the verb perfumar.^[11]
• c. 1400 – first record of the noun, in a Bible translation.^[10]
• 1410 – the plague treatise of Velasco de Taranto uses it for fumigations.^[10]
• c. 1495 – Nebrija glosses perfumes with Latin suffimenta and aromata.^[6][3]
• 1516 – first record in the Americas, in Puerto Rico.^[15]
• 1611 – Covarrubias describes a scented paste that gives off fragrant smoke.^[8]
• 1726–1739 – Autoridades names the aromatic substances burnt as perfumes.^[7]
• 1884 – the Academy derives it from perfumar and adds the sense “pleasant smell”.^[12]

Meanings

Noun

1. A perfume, scent: a substance, usually liquid, used to give a pleasant smell: Se echó un poco de perfume antes de salir.^[2][1]
2. A pleasant smell; also, ironically, a bad one.^[2][13]
3. Aromatic matter that gives off fragrant smoke when burnt, like incienso.^[16]
4. The smoke or smell given off by such matter.^[16]

Word family

• perfumería
• perfumista
• perfumero

Related words

• perfumar
• humo
• Latin fūmus
• French parfum

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. perfume
3. ^ a b c d Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 3, 427
4. ^ a b García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. 2968
5. ^ Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. perfumar
6. ^ a b c Lleal, Coloma (dir.), DICCA-XV: Diccionario del castellano del siglo XV en la Corona de Aragón, Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona, Grup d'Estudis d'Història de la Llengua (GHCL), https://ghcl.ub.edu/diccaxv, p. s.v. perfume
7. ^ a b c d Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 5, 222
8. ^ a b c d Covarrubias Orozco, Sebastián de (1611), Tesoro de la lengua castellana o española, Madrid: Luis Sánchez (Biblioteca Wordkers transcription, CC BY 4.0), p. 1207
9. ^ a b Terreros y Pando, Esteban de (1786–1793), Diccionario castellano con las voces de ciencias y artes y sus correspondientes de las tres lenguas francesa, latina e italiana, 4 vols., Madrid: Viuda de Ibarra, p. 3, 99
10. ^ a b c d Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE, p. s.v. perfume
11. ^ a b Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE, p. s.v. perfumar
12. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 816
13. ^ a b Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. perfume
14. ^ Baralt, Rafael María (1855), Diccionario de galicismos, Madrid: Imprenta de J. Cruzado, p. 516
15. ^ Boyd-Bowman, Peter (2003), Léxico hispanoamericano 1493–1993, ed. Ray Harris-Northall and John J. Nitti, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies, p. s.v. perfume
16. ^ a b Real Academia Española (2001), Diccionario de la lengua española, 22nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, p. s.v. perfume