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The trail of scent that a fragrance leaves in the air as its wearer moves through a space.
synonyms:scent trailfragrant wake -
A wake, trail or visible path left behind by a moving vessel, person, animal or object.
synonyms:waketrail
Sillage was borrowed from French, in which it means the wake or trail left by something in motion. The French noun dates to the 15th century and is derived from the verb "siller," meaning to move forward through water. Its nautical imagery was later adopted by the perfume world to describe a fragrance lingering behind its wearer.
Sillage is primarily a specialized perfumery term used by fragrance makers, reviewers and enthusiasts. It may also appear in literary or poetic writing to describe a wake, path or lingering trace.
The word is uncommon in everyday conversation but frequently appears in perfume reviews, fragrance discussions and other writing about scent.
Her jasmine perfume had a delicate sillage that lingered in the hallway after she left.
Although the fragrance smelled subtle on the skin, its warm and spicy sillage was surprisingly powerful.
The moonlight shimmered across the boat's foaming sillage.
Sillage is the elegant name for the scented trail that follows someone wearing perfume. It comes from a French nautical word for the wake left behind a moving boat, turning ripples in water into a metaphor for fragrance in the air. A perfume with strong sillage may announce its wearer from across a room, while a softer one keeps its scented wake close to the body. It is a wonderfully vivid word for something invisible yet instantly noticeable.