frangipani means any of several tropical American shrubs and trees of the genus Plumeria, having fragrant, showy, funnel-shaped flowers of a wide range of colours from creamy to red. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 89 out of 100.
Why this word is great
FRANGIPANI — [Noun] Any of several tropical American shrubs or trees of the genus Plumeria, or their fragrant, showy flowers; also a perfume derived from or imitating their scent. From French frangipane, from Italian frangipane, possibly named after the 16th-century Italian nobleman Muzio Frangipane; the family name Frangipani derives from Italian frangere ("to break") + pane ("bread"), literally "bread-breakers". Unlike "plumeria" (which confines it to a botanical ledger) or "frangipane" (which transposes it to a pastry cream), "frangipani" is the word for the living, sensory artifact. It is the waxy, yielding petal of a temple garland; the narcotic sweetness that hangs in the humid evening air; the ghost of a scent clinging to sun-warmed skin—a portable fragment of paradise, forever broken from the tree.
noun
- Any of several tropical American shrubs and trees of the genus Plumeria, having fragrant, showy, funnel-shaped flowers of a wide range of colours from creamy to red.
- A flower of these plants.“The aroma given off by flowers has an aphrodisiac effect, especially on women. This is so particularly in the case of lilies of the valley, gardenia, frangipani, and henna.”
- A perfume obtained from this plant or imitating the odour of its flowers.