aroma
/əˈrəʊmə
/noun
1A distinctive, typically pleasant smell: the tantalizing aroma of fresh coffee...
- The aroma of the fresh coffee could be smelled half way down the street, says Muriel.
- The air smelled of cotton candy and popcorn, the fresh and tantalizing aromas of childhood.
- It was stuffed with something soft that rustled and smelt pleasant: a potpourri aroma.
Synonyms
smell, odour, fragrance, scent, perfume, whiff, redolence, tang, savour, bouquet, nose
1.1A subtle, pervasive quality or atmosphere: the aroma of officialdom...
- It is an era of, an aroma of, an aura of some mesmerizing music performance.
- Police checked the area, finding only the usual ambient aroma of free-floating malaise.
Origin
Middle English (usually in the plural denoting fragrant plants or spices): via Latin from Greek arōma 'spice'.
A walk past any Indian restaurant will confirm that spices have a definite aroma, and it is ‘spice’ that was the original meaning of aroma. From the 13th century, when the word entered English via Latin from Greek arōma, ‘spice’ was the only meaning, and the modern sense ‘a distinctive pleasant smell’ did not appear until the beginning of the 19th century.