Having a strong, pleasant smell, the everyday sensory meaning, and as a noun, any substance, plant, or chemical distinguished by its fragrance. Aromatic herbs and spices, from basil to cinnamon, owe their character to volatile oils that the nose detects at minute concentrations, and cooks use them to perfume dishes without adding bulk. In chemistry the word has a separate technical meaning, describing ring-structured compounds like benzene with special stability, a usage that confuses newcomers when aromatic hydrocarbons turn out to smell of nothing pleasant. The sensory meaning dominates in food: aromatic rice varieties, aromatic wines, and aromatic bitters are all prized for the volatile compounds that make them memorable. Appreciation of aroma is appreciation of chemistry made delicious.