noun
nosegay
Nosegay (noun) means a small bunch of sweet-smelling flowers or herbs, often given as a gift, originally held near the nose for its pleasant smell or to cover bad ones.
noun
1
A small bunch of sweet-smelling flowers or herbs, often given as a gift, originally held near the nose for its pleasant smell or to cover bad ones.
"At the far end of the houses the head gardener stood waiting for his mistress, and he gave her strips of bass to tie up her nosegay. This she did slowly and laboriously, with knuckly old fingers that shook."
— William Babington Maxwell (1918)
"Tacked to Miss Trixie's desk was a large sign that said miss trixie with an old-fashioned nosegay drawn in crayon in one corner."
— John Kennedy Toole (1963)
2
A smell or fragrance.
"The 80-year-old Government Opium and Alkaloid Works in Neemuch smells better than it looks. The turfy-chocolaty nosegay of raw opium wafts from hundreds of milk cans."
— Donald Gerald McNeil, In India, a quest to ease the pain of the dying (2007)
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Etymology
Comes from Late Middle English nōsegai (?), formed from nōse (“nose”), itself from Old English nosu, going back ultimately to Proto-Indo-European *nas- (“nose”), plus gai (“a bright or gay object; an ornament”), from Old French gai (“cheerful, gay, happy”); it is equivalent to nose + gay.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for nosegay
See all rhymes for nosegay →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of nosegay?
"nosegay" (noun) means a small bunch of sweet-smelling flowers or herbs, often given as a gift, originally held near the nose for its pleasant smell or to cover bad ones.
What is another word for nosegay?
Other words for "nosegay" include bouquet, posy, corsage.
What are the different meanings of nosegay?
"nosegay" has 2 main meanings: 1. A small bunch of sweet-smelling flowers or herbs, often given as a gift, originally held near the nose for its pleasant smell or to cover bad ones; 2. A smell or fragrance.
