nosegay

The story

1. Old French · derived fromgai“cheerful, gay, happy”
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*nas-“nose”
3. Old English · inherited fromnosu
4. Middle English · inherited fromnōsegai
5. English todaynosegay

From Late Middle English nōsegai (?), from nōse (“nose”) (from Old English nosu, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nas- (“nose”)) + gai (“a bright or gay object; an ornament”) (from Old French gai (“cheerful, gay, happy”)); equivalent to nose + gay.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 15th c. A small bunch of fragrant flowers or herbs tied in a bundle, often presented as a gift; nosegays were originally intended to be put to the nose for the pleasant sensation or to mask unpleasant odours.