bouquet

Where does the word "bouquet" come from? It comes from Frankish bosc, passing through Old French and French before entering English (1700s).

Bouquet’s story begins in Frankish: bosc meant “wood, grove.” A Germanic word meaning "wood" or "grove". By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as bosquet. A diminutive meaning "a small wood or thicket". From there it passed into French as bouquet by 1600s. Came to mean a bunch of flowers gathered like a small thicket. It reached English by 1700s as bouquet. From French 'bosquet', little wood; the wine sense 'aroma' dates from the 1800s. Today, bouquet means an arranged bunch of flowers, or a pleasant aroma, especially of wine.

1. Stage 1 · Frankish · medieval bosc "wood, grove", a Germanic word meaning "wood" or "grove".
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval bosquet "a small thicket", a diminutive meaning "a small wood or thicket".
3. Stage 3 · French · 1600s bouquet "a bunch of flowers", came to mean a bunch of flowers gathered like a small thicket.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1700s bouquet "an arranged bunch of flowers", from French 'bosquet', little wood; the wine sense 'aroma' dates from the 1800s.