According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word ‘perfume’ was first borrowed from the French language in the thirteenth century. It was initially used in the sense of ‘to fumigate’ and originally pronounced with the stress on the second syllable. References dating to the sixteenth century suggest that the word could indicate a pleasant smell when, for example, burning a substance for the purpose of inhaling the fumes, as well as refer to a fragrant liquid. Over time, the properties of perfume and scents have been considered medicinal, curative, protective, even divine, as well as providing sensory and often sensual pleasure.
As historians of the senses point out, during times when a sweetsmelling air was believed to avert the danger of disease, those who could afford to buy fragrant substances were very sensitive to their composition and sought to ensure that places smelled pleasant. It has even been argued that this sensory awareness changed as a result of the scientific focus of the eighteenth century. The importance of scent in roses, for example, waned when selective breeding prioritised visual attractiveness over the quality of fragrance.
Your organisation does not have access to this article.
Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise
Subscribe
