attar

Where does the word "attar" come from? It comes from Arabic 'itr, passing through Persian and Hindi/Urdu before entering English (1788).

Attar’s story begins in Arabic: 'itr meant “perfume.” Meant "perfume" or "aroma". By medieval, the word had taken hold in Persian as 'itr. Rose attar became a prized product of Persian and later Mughal perfumers. From there it passed into Hindi/Urdu as atr by 1700s. Spread through Mughal India's flower-oil industry. It reached English by 1788 as attar. Entered English via the Indo-Persian perfume trade, especially attar of roses. Today, attar means a fragrant essential oil, especially one distilled from rose petals.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval 'itr "perfume", meant "perfume" or "aroma".
2. Stage 2 · Persian · medieval 'itr "perfume", rose attar became a prized product of Persian and later Mughal perfumers.
3. Stage 3 · Hindi/Urdu · 1700s atr "essential oil, perfume", spread through Mughal India's flower-oil industry.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1788 attar "fragrant essential oil", entered English via the Indo-Persian perfume trade, especially attar of roses.