A pleasant, distinctive smell, especially one that is fresh or sweet. Often used to describe perfumes or natural scents.
From Latin 'fragrantia' meaning 'sweet smell', from 'fragrare' (to smell sweet). Related to the same root that gives us 'fragrant' and possibly connected to 'frui' (to enjoy).
The perfume industry cleverly uses 'fragrance' instead of 'smell' because it carries inherently positive connotations - you can't have a bad fragrance, only a bad smell. The word is basically marketing magic built into language!
Fragrance marketing heavily gendered since 20th c.; 'feminine' scents coded as luxury/allure for women, 'masculine' as power/status, constraining expression and reinforcing gender binaries.
Describe fragrance by notes/purpose ('citrus-forward,' 'warm amber') rather than gendered language; recognize gender-neutral scent preferences.
["scent","aroma","perfume"]
Pioneering perfumers (Josephine Delaby, Edmond Roudnitska) designed across 'masculine'/'feminine' divide; marketing later segregated their innovations into binary categories.
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