'aromatic' originates from Greek via Latin and French, specifically from Greek 'arōma' (ἀρώμα) meaning 'spice' or 'sweet smell', passing into Late Latin 'aromaticus' and Old French 'aromatique' before English.

'aromatic' changed from Greek 'arōma' to Latin 'aromaticus', then to Old French 'aromatique', and eventually became the modern English word 'aromatic' (with the plural 'aromatics' used for groups of such substances).

Initially it meant 'spice' or 'pleasant smell', and over time it came to mean both 'having a noticeable smell' and, in chemistry, a specific class of ring-structured organic compounds (aromatics).