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patch·ou·li

(pə-chlē, păch-lē)

n. pl. patch·ou·lis

1. A small southeast Asian shrub (Pogostemon cablin) in the mint family, having leaves that yield a fragrant oil used in the manufacture of perfumes.

2. A perfume made from the oil of this plant.

[French, probably ultimately from a Dravidian word compounded from elements akin to Tamil paccai, green, or paccai, fragrant, fragrant plant, and ilai, leaf.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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