Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Rosa damascena

Rosa damascena

8.8
A pink rose with a strong sweet smell that people grow for perfume and rose oil
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : rosa damascena
  • The essential oil distilled from Rosa damascena petals is treasured in perfume making.

Examples

  • Flowers from Rosa damascena are often harvested at dawn to preserve their fragrance.

  • Many perfumers praise the distinctive scent of Rosa damascena above all other rose varieties.

  • The Rosa damascena is known for its beautiful fragrance.

  • Many gardeners prefer Rosa damascena for its stunning blooms.

  • Many perfumers praise the distinctive scent of Rosa damascena above all other rose varieties.

  • The essential oil distilled from Rosa damascena petals is treasured in perfume making.

  • Flowers from Rosa damascena are often harvested at dawn to preserve their fragrance.

Synonyms

summer damask rose
vsRosa damascena
8.4

A large pink rose with a very strong smell, grown for perfume

is the official species designation for the same cultivated rose
damask rose
vsRosa damascena
6.8

A large pink rose with a strong sweet smell grown for rose oil

is the wild species used traditionally for attar and as parent of many hybrids

Surface Forms

Rosa damascena singular
Rosa damascenes plural

Morphology

Rosa + damascena

This is a botanical Latin binomial: 'Rosa' clearly signals 'rose' (transparent), but 'damascena' is a non‑English, specialized epithet (literally ‘of Damascus’/‘Damask’) that most B1 learners will not recognize. Because the genus part is transparent but the specific epithet is obscure to general learners—though it does encode origin/type—the overall phrase is only partially predictable from its parts.

Etymology

Rosa damascena may come from the city of Damascus. Rosa means 'rose' and damascena means 'from Damascus'. People there long ago grew this very fragrant pink rose to make oil and 'perfume', so today the name refers to that special, highly fragrant rose.