Standard Lemma guide

patchouli

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /pəˈt͡ʃuli/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of several East Indian plants in the genus Pogostemon, especially Pogostemon cablin, which yield a highly fragrant oil.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The oil or perfume made from these plants.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a heavy perfume made from the patchouli plant

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: patchouly, pachouli

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: perfume, essence

4

noun

Meaning 4

small East Indian shrubby mint; fragrant oil from its leaves is used in perfumes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: patchouly, pachouli, Pogostemon cablin

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: shrub, bush

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Tamil பச்சுளி (paccuḷi).

Across languages

Translations

36 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: пачули (pačuli) — any of several East Indian plants
  • Finnish: patsuli — any of several East Indian plants
  • French: patchouli — any of several East Indian plants
  • Georgian: პაჩული (ṗačuli) — any of several East Indian plants
  • Hindi: पचौली (pacaulī) — any of several East Indian plants
  • Hungarian: pacsuli — any of several East Indian plants
  • Ido: pachulio — any of several East Indian plants
  • Indonesian: nilam — any of several East Indian plants
  • Irish: paitsiúlaí — any of several East Indian plants
  • Polish: paczulka — any of several East Indian plants
  • Polish: paczulka wonna — any of several East Indian plants
  • Polish: brodziec paczulka — any of several East Indian plants
  • Polish: paczula — any of several East Indian plants
  • Portuguese: patchuli — any of several East Indian plants
  • Romanian: paciuli — any of several East Indian plants
  • Swedish: patchouli — any of several East Indian plants
  • Tamil: பச்சுளி (paccuḷi) — any of several East Indian plants
  • Turkish: paçuli — any of several East Indian plants
  • Ukrainian: пачу́лі (pačúli) — any of several East Indian plants
  • Yiddish: פּאַטשולי (patshuli) — any of several East Indian plants
  • Finnish: patsuli — the oil or perfume made from these plants
  • French: patchouli — the oil or perfume made from these plants
  • Georgian: პაჩული (ṗačuli) — the oil or perfume made from these plants
  • Hindi: पचौली (pacaulī) — the oil or perfume made from these plants
  • Hungarian: pacsuli — the oil or perfume made from these plants
  • Ido: pachulio — the oil or perfume made from these plants
  • Indonesian: nilam — the oil or perfume made from these plants
  • Irish: paitsiúlaí — the oil or perfume made from these plants
  • Japanese: パチョリ (pachori) — the oil or perfume made from these plants
  • Japanese: パチュリー (pachurī) — the oil or perfume made from these plants
  • Japanese: パチュリ (pachuri) — the oil or perfume made from these plants
  • Polish: paczula — the oil or perfume made from these plants
  • Portuguese: patchuli — the oil or perfume made from these plants
  • Romanian: paciuli — the oil or perfume made from these plants
  • Ukrainian: пачу́лі (pačúli) — the oil or perfume made from these plants
  • Yiddish: פּאַטשולי (patshuli) — the oil or perfume made from these plants