What isLeft Behind

[hollyuk]

Hi,

Does anyone know if there is a word that describes what is left behind when something is gone? Like vapour trails when aplane passes or the smell of someone when they've gone.

Thanks
hollyuk

[Quizmonster]

Trace or vestige, perhaps?

[Sandy-Wroe]

Residue?

[swedeheart]

In perfumology there's a term 'sillage'. It refers to the lingering trail of someone's perfume, sometimes even after they've left the room. It's a French word that literally means 'wake', as in the "tracks" a boat makes.

[swedeheart]

PS It's a French word but it's used "in English" as well.

[Quizmonster]

Sillage is not in the OED or Chambers, Swedeheart, so I imagine its use 'in English' is largely confined to perfume people. Our closest word, silage, with one letter 'L' means fermented animal feed...hardly something associated with nice smells!
Still, I like the idea of perfume leaving a 'wake'.

[swedeheart]

LOL@ 'silage'! Yes QM it may be confined to perfume people but it's constantly used in that world, there's not a perfumista or colognoisseur that wouldn't know what you meant by it.

[heathfield]

''After she left, her aura remained in the room''

[jno]

I'm not even going to look up colognoisseur. Sillage is defined here:

http://www.nstperfume.com/perfume-glossary/

but 'scent' mght do as well. Gardenia perfume lingering on a pillow, Wild strawberries only seven francs a kilo...