aromatherapy

noun

aro·​ma·​ther·​a·​py ə-ˌrō-mə-ˈther-ə-pē 

: inhalation or bodily application (as by massage) of fragrant essential oils (as from flowers and fruits) for therapeutic purposes

broadly : the use of aroma to enhance a feeling of well-being

aromatherapeutic

ə-ˌrō-mə-ˌther-ə-ˈpyü-tik 

adjective

aromatherapist

ə-ˌrō-mə-ˈther-ə-pist 

noun

Examples of aromatherapy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Treatments span from aromatherapy massages to seaweed body wraps, and each session offers plenty of opportunity to gaze at the colorful fish that call the region home, with large windows installed under each massage table to showcase the ocean below. —Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025

Alternatively, travelers can also book in-tent treatments—there’s certainly enough room on the deck to set up a massage bed for an aromatherapy massage, or a deep tissue massage that incorporates the African knobkerrie stick to really get into those muscles. —Heather Richardson, Travel + Leisure, 18 May 2025

So, enjoy the aromatherapy that becomes of your shower regimen with this soap, as well as the boost this body lotion provides your everyday cologne. —Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 12 May 2025

There are even aromatherapy options available for purchase to elevate your shower experience. —Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 26 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French aromathérapie, from aroma-, Latinized form of arome aroma + thérapie therapy

Note: The French word was promulgated and apparently coined by the chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé (1881-1950), in Aromathérapie—les huiles essentielles hormones végétales (Paris, 1937) and other publications.

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for aromatherapy

• syrupy

Medical Definition

aromatherapy

noun

aro·​ma·​ther·​a·​py ə-ˌrō-mə-ˈther-ə-pē 

plural aromatherapies

: inhalation or bodily application (as by massage) of fragrant essential oils (as from flowers and fruits) for therapeutic purposes

Aromatherapy relies on very concentrated "essential" oils from the flowers, leaves, bark, branches, rind or roots of plants with purported healing properties.

—Jane E. Brody, The New York Times

broadly : the use of aroma to enhance a feeling of well-being

aromatherapeutic

-ˌther-ə-ˈpyü-tik 

adjective

aromatherapeutic oils

aromatherapist

-ˈther-ə-pəst 

noun