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I was reading an article on anosmia (the loss of the sense of smell) today and that set me thinking of the innumerable terms with all their fine nuances, that we use to describe smells/the action of smelling. For instance..., how do all of you differentiate between, say, fragrance/ aroma/ perfume?
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how do all of you differentiate between, say, fragrance/ aroma/ perfume?
By the size of the figure behind the dollar sign and in front of the decimal point.
TEd
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fragrance/ aroma/ perfume?I associate fragrance with flowers, aroma with food, and perfume with civet cats  .
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how do all of you differentiate between, say, fragrance/ aroma/ perfume?
well fragrance and perfume are sweet, aroma can be savory..
(fruits and flowers are fragrant, coffee, and spices are aromatic)
and all three are pleasent.
unlike odor, smell or rank !
Comming throught the garden, each step stirred up the fragrant air, but eventually, as you neared the kitchen, it yeilded to the aroma of coffee and spice cakes, mingled with savory meats cooking. Beyond the garden and kitchen, was the barn rich with a multitude odors and strange smells. Further still, in the field, the air was rank with work of the butchers and now gutted pig.
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I'm with jheem on this one, except for the cat thang... perfumes to me aren't usually pleasantly sweet, to me they're cloying. but I have a sensitive nose, la-de-da... 
formerly known as etaoin...
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To agree with and expand slightly on nuncle's observation and to complement ledasdottir's I would say that fragrance is light and delicate, aroma has a body lacking in the others, and perfume has a sharpness that the civet cat remark captures quite nicely. This is not to say that there are not perfumes that lean toward fragrance nor others that lean towards the musky.
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Personally...
I use aroma for the odor of food, perfume only for the liquid scents in bottles, fragrance for the smell of "girly" things like foam bath, pot pourri, candles... and scent (one you didn't mention) for any other pleasant smell as in soap, detergents (laundry, dish, household).
For business...
Perfume is the official term we use in the ingredient listings of products.
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dollar sign Even before reading your post, I perceived a strong smell of marketing emanating from this triplet..
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Thanks, faldage, for putting into words what I couldn't figure out quite how to. Good question, maahey!
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Thanks all! As for me...
aroma - a smell that can be tasted. Definite association with food.
As for the other two...this is not spontaneous, I had to think about it and this is what I feel
fragrance - is diffuse, a smell that tends to disperse into the air easily
perfume - is a concentrated, localised smell. Civet is a perfect example, I think (never smelt it myself, but it has always *sounded potent and concentrated).
To elaborate: we'd say the fragrance of a garden full of flowers. We wouldn't say perfume, would we?
What is the etymology? Is there something there? And TEd, I laughed, but am sure all the ladies will agree that all three can be pretty upmarket.
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