Word of the Day

: April 29, 2018

redolent

adjective RED-uh-lunt

What It Means

1 : exuding fragrance : aromatic

2 a : full of a specified fragrance : scented

b : evocative, suggestive

redolent in Context

"Middle Eastern food, redolent with spices, is one of the world's most popular cuisines, yet home cooks are often intimidated by the sheer number of ingredients many dishes call for." — Publisher's Weekly Review, 2 Feb. 2015 

"Art Deco objects from furniture to cocktail shakers, redolent of speed and mechanical efficiency, celebrate the modern with an optimism that seems divorced entirely from the economic realities of the 1930s, when they were all the rage." — Charles Desmarais, The San Francisco Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2018

Did You Know?

Redolent traces back to the Latin verb olēre ("to smell") and is a relative of olfactory ("of, relating to, or connected with the sense of smell"). In its earliest English uses in the 15th century, redolent simply meant "having an aroma." Today, it usually applies to a place or thing impregnated with odors. It can also be used of something that reminds us of something else or evokes a certain emotional response, as in "a city redolent of antiquity."