Meaning & use

ylang ylang flower

noun·Advanced

Last updated

UK/ˈiːlæŋ ˈiːlæŋ ˌflaʊə/
US/ˈiːlɑːŋ ˈiːlɑːŋ ˌflaʊər/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    the strongly sweet-smelling flower of a tropical tree, used to make perfume and essential oil.

    Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a ylang ylang flower' or 'ylang ylang flowers'.

    Patterns

    • a ylang ylang flower
    • ylang ylang flowers
    • oil from ylang ylang flowers

    The ylang ylang flower is yellow and has a very strong, sweet scent.

    Perfume makers collect the ylang ylang flower early in the morning.

    She wore a necklace of ylang ylang flowers for the ceremony.

  2. noununcountable

    the oil or scent obtained from this flower, often used in aromatherapy and cosmetics.

    Grammar: Uncountable when talking about the oil or substance: 'a bottle of ylang ylang'.

    Patterns

    • ylang ylang oil
    • scented with ylang ylang

    This massage oil contains ylang ylang and lavender.

    The room smelled of ylang ylang and vanilla.

    Add a few drops of ylang ylang to the bath.

Word forms

pluralylang ylang flowers

Common combinations

ylang ylang oil
She uses ylang ylang oil in her homemade soap.
the scent of ylang ylang
The scent of ylang ylang filled the garden at night.
a ylang ylang tree
A ylang ylang tree grows in their front yard.
ylang ylang perfume
That expensive ylang ylang perfume is too strong for me.

Synonyms and how they differ

cananga
The tree is also called cananga, but the flower is almost always called ylang ylang.

Word family

ylang ylang noun
The tree or its oil, without the word 'flower'.

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