Word
bouquet
Phoneticsbou·quet
US/buˈkeɪ/
UK/buːkˈeɪ/
Definition
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.
Examples
“He bought a large bouquet of roses for her birthday.”
“The bride carried a beautiful bouquet of white lilies and baby's breath as she walked down the aisle.”
“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.”
Examples
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.”
Usage
Often takes the preposition 'of' to specify the contents, such as 'a bouquet of flowers'.
Pitfall
a bucket of flowers
a bouquet of flowers
Learners sometimes confuse 'bouquet' with 'bucket' due to phonetic similarity, but a bouquet is an arrangement, while a bucket is a container.
Etymology
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
bouquets and brickbats — Praise and criticism; complimentary and uncomplimentary feedback (to the same or to different targets).
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/bouquet