redolent means fragrant or aromatic; having a sweet scent. It carries an Arena rating of 1955, earned across 55 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, redolent ranks #70 of 42,789 for Qualifying, #492 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,650 of 17,135 for Most Malleable Words, #1,958 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words.
redolent is pronounced /ˈɹɛd.ə.lənt/.
Why “redolent” is a great word
Strongly suggestive or reminiscent of something, or having a pleasant, noticeable fragrance. From Middle English (first attested c. 1400), from Old French *redolent*, from Latin *redolentem*, present participle of *redolēre* ("to emit a scent"), from *red-* (an intensive prefix) + *olēre* ("to smell"). Unlike "aromatic," which simply describes a distinct smell, or "suggestive," which implies a mental association without fragrance, redolent operates in both registers at once—scent and memory intertwined. It is the ghost of pipe tobacco in a grandfather’s cardigan, the scent of rain on hot pavement that is also a childhood summer, or the damp earth smell of a cellar that feels, inexplicably, like grief—a proof that the past is not a country we have left, but an atmosphere we sometimes breathe.
Etymology
From Middle English redolent (first attested in 1400), from Old French redolent, from Latin redolentem, present participle of redoleō (“to emit a scent”), from red- + oleō (“to smell”).
adj
- Fragrant or aromatic; having a sweet scent.
- Having the smell of the article in question.
- Suggestive or reminiscent.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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