cologne

Short for eau de Cologne (French Eau de Cologne), the name given to the original product in 1709. The success of the original Eau de Cologne inspired many imitators and it has become a genericized trademark. See Cologne.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kəˈləʊn/
• (US) IPA^(key): /kəˈloʊn/
• Rhymes: -əʊn

cologne (usually uncountable, plural colognes) (cosmetics)

1. A type of perfume consisting of 2-5% essential oils, 70-90% alcohol and water.

   You stink of too much cologne.

   • 1998, Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Talents, HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP (2019), page 95:

     He wore some aftershave or cologne that gave him a heavy, nasty, sweet scent.

2. Any of a family of fresh, citrus-based fragrances distilled using extracts from citrus, floral, and woody ingredients, said to have been developed in the early 18th century in Cologne, Germany.
3. (loosely) A fragrance typically worn by a man as opposed to a woman, regardless of its concentration.

• eau de Cologne

• eau de toilette
• perfume
• toilet water