A fragrant organic compound found in plants like tonka beans and sweet grass, which smells similar to vanilla and is used in perfumes and flavorings.
From Tupi cumaru (tonka bean), the plant where the compound was first isolated. The name was Latinized with the -in suffix common in chemistry.
Coumarin (also called coumalin) smells like fresh hay and vanilla because it's literally what gives newly mown grass its sweet smell—your lawn is an accidental perfume factory!
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