ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bouquet

n. countable
B1 Intermediate US //buˈkeɪ// UK //buːkˈeɪ// bou·quet

n. a bunch of flowers that are picked and arranged in an attractive way. You often give one as a gift for a special occasion like a wedding or a birthday.

n. an arrangement of flowers, typically given as a gift or carried in a ceremony. Also refers to the characteristic scent of a wine or perfume.


SIMPLE

He bought a large bouquet of roses for her birthday.

CONTEXTUAL

The bride carried a beautiful bouquet of white lilies and baby's breath as she walked down the aisle.

COMPLEX

The sommelier noted that the vintage possessed a complex bouquet, with distinct notes of dark cherry and toasted oak that developed as the wine breathed.

Synonyms
Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *buskaz Frankish *buskbor. Early Medieval Latin boscus Old French boisder. Old French bochet French bouquetubor. English bouquet Unadapted borrowing from French bouquet, from Old French bochet, from bois, from Early Medieval Latin boscus (“grove”), borrowed from Frankish busk, from Proto-Germanic buskaz. Doublet of bosket.

Usage

Often takes the preposition 'of' to specify the contents, such as 'a bouquet of flowers'.

Pitfall

a bucket of flowersa bouquet of flowersLearners sometimes confuse 'bouquet' with 'bucket' due to phonetic similarity, but a bouquet is an arrangement, while a bucket is a container.

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