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

One study looked at how smelling rose oil as aromatherapy can affect anxiety and sleep quality.7 Operating room personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic inhaled either two drops of rose oil or a placebo for 10 minutes before their morning shift. —Merve Ceylan, Health, 7 Apr. 2025

Facials, manicures, pedicures and aromatherapies are also available. —Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 5 Apr. 2025

Essential oil aromatherapy has been around for thousands of years worldwide. —Annie Blackman, Allure, 16 Mar. 2025

Generating near $6 billion in 2025 alone, the global sleep aid economy is supported by supplements, aromatherapy and wearable tech. —Dahvi Shira, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 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