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sillage

English → EnglishformalInstant · from the shared dictionary
sillage

Sillage refers to the scented trail left behind by someone who is wearing perfume or fragrance. It is a French loanword that carries a sophisticated, almost cinematic quality, evoking the image of a person walking through a room and leaving a lingering, invisible wake of their presence in the air. While it is primarily used in the context of perfumery to describe the projection and diffusion of a scent, you will most often encounter it in formal reviews or discussions among fragrance enthusiasts. It is not a word used in everyday casual conversation, but rather a technical term used to describe how well a fragrance "travels" or stays in a space after the wearer has departed.

In conversation

Fragrance review

Do you like the sillage on this new rose scent?

Do you like the sillage on this new rose scent?

It's a bit too strong for me, it fills the whole room.

It's a bit too strong for me, it fills the whole room.

Used here to discuss the physical reach of a perfume's scent.

At a gala

She walked past and left such a beautiful, mysterious sillage.

She walked past and left such a beautiful, mysterious sillage.

I know, it was like a floral ghost following her.

I know, it was like a floral ghost following her.

Describes the lingering effect of a scent in a social setting.

Examples

  1. The perfume has a moderate sillage.

    The perfume has a moderate sillage.

  2. I prefer a fragrance with a subtle sillage that only people close to me can detect.

    I prefer a fragrance with a subtle sillage that only people close to me can detect.

  3. The room was still heavy with the sillage of her perfume long after the meeting had adjourned.

    The room was still heavy with the sillage of her perfume long after the meeting had adjourned.

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