nosegay

Meaning

1. A small bunch of fragrant flowers or herbs tied in a bundle, often presented as a gift; nosegays were originally intended to be put to the nose for the pleasant sensation or to mask unpleasant odours.
2. An aroma, a scent.

Synonyms

bouquet

💐

bunch of flowers

posy

corsage

mouthful

bunch

cluster of blossoms

tussie-mussie

posie

flower bouquet

Hyphenated as

nose‧gay

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈnəʊzɡeɪ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: nōsegai

Inherited from Old English: nosu

In summary

From Late Middle English nōsegai (?), from nōse (“nose”) (from Old English nosu, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nas- (“nose”)) + gai (“a bright or gay object; an ornament”) (from Old French gai (“cheerful, gay, happy”)); equivalent to nose + gay.