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pomander

noun
/ˈpɒ.mæn.də/UK/ˈpoʊ.mæn.dɚ/US

Etymology

From Old French pome d'embre (literally “apple of ambergris”), from Medieval Latin pōmum dē ambra: pōmum (“fruit”) (possibly from *po-emo (“picked off”)); ambra (“amber; ambergris”) (probably from ambrosia (“food or unguent of the gods”), from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓́μβροτος (ắmbrotos, “divine, immortal; belonging to the gods”), from Proto-Indo-European *n̥mr̥tós (“immortal”)).

  1. derived from *n̥mr̥tós✻
  2. derived from ἄμβροτος
  3. derived from pōmum dē ambra
  4. derived from pome d'embre

Definitions

  1. A mixture of aromatic substances, made into a ball and carried by a person to impart a…

    A mixture of aromatic substances, made into a ball and carried by a person to impart a sweet smell or as a protection against infection.

    • I have ſold all my Tromperie: not a counterfeit Stone, not a Ribbon, Glaſſe, Pomander, Browch, Table-booke, Ballad, Knife, Tape, Gloue, Shooe-tye, Bracelet, Horne-Ring, to keepe my Pack from faſting: […]

  2. A small case in which an aromatic ball was carried.

    • Colonel Johnson was talking to her earnestly, leaning over the card-table. On seeing Miss Harrison's gesture he rose suddenly, and attached to the ribbon of his watch was my godmother's silver pomander.
    • Two very early pomanders were undoubtedly produced for different classes English society: the black, waxy ball moulded around a gold shaft, for the wealthy; the carved nut shell, for a lower class.

  3. A perforated container filled with pot-pourri for placing in a drawer, wardrobe, room,…

    A perforated container filled with pot-pourri for placing in a drawer, wardrobe, room, etc., to provide a sweet smell.

  4. ›+ 1 more definition

    1. An apple or orange studded with cloves used for the same purpose.

      • An orange with the pulp removed and replaced by spices and perfumes seems to have been sometimes used as a pomander, and Cardinal [Thomas] Wolsey is spoken of as holding one to his nose while passing among a crowd of suitors.

The neighborhood

Derived

pomandered

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for pomander. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA