Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Glossary

Glossary of Terms

alembic

A distilling vessel

ambergris

A secretion of the sperm whale

amulets

Charms worn, usually around the neck, by peasants to ward off evil spirits

anathema

A curse of excommunication

benzoin

Gum benjamin, a resin that smells like vanilla

bergamot

A scented rind of a citrus fruit

castor

Strong-smelling oil obtained from a beaver

chimera

An illusion or mirage

chou-croute

Cabbage pie (French)

civet

Musk obtained from the tropical civet cat

contumacy

Extreme stubbornness; a willful or inexplicable perversity

eleemosynary

Fund for the provision of infant orphans

extra muros

Latin for "outside the walls" (of a city, for example)

flacon

A small bottle

gruel

A thin porridge, or liquid hot cereal or mush

mountebank

A name for a quack doctor or purveyor of patent medicines

neroli

Orange-flower oil

opopopanax

Dried juice of a Turkish plant, used for perfume

pelargonium

A kind of geranium

pomade

A scented ointment for the hair

rectified spirit

Strong, purified alcohol, refined through repeated distillaton

rotomontade

Boasting chatter or vain talk

solipsism

Extreme artistic selfishness; a philosophical system asserting that only the self is real or knowable

tincture

A solution of alcohol

vetiver

Roots of an East Indian grass, which yields a strong scent