A climbing shrub with fragrant white or yellow flowers, widely cultivated for ornamental purposes and perfume.
From Arabic yāsamīn, itself borrowed from Persian yāsaman. The word entered Old French as jasmin through Arabic-speaking regions of medieval Spain and North Africa. Middle English adopted it as jasmine in the 16th century, when the flower became popular in European gardens through trade with the Middle East.
This sweet-smelling flower's name traveled from ancient Persia through Arabic into European languages! The word has kept almost the same sound for over a thousand years because the flower's intoxicating fragrance made it universally beloved across cultures.
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