odor
[ oh-der ]
/ ˈoʊ dər /
noun
Also
especially British,
o·dour.
Origin of odor
1250–1300; Middle English < Old French < Latin
SYNONYMS FOR odor
3
aroma,
redolence,
perfume.
Odor,
smell,
scent,
stench all refer to sensations perceived through the nose by the olfactory nerves.
Odor and
smell in literal contexts are often interchangeable. Figuratively,
odor also usually occurs in positive contexts:
the odor of sanctity.
Smell is the most general and neutral of these two terms, deriving connotation generally from the context in which it is used:
the tempting smell of fresh-baked bread; the rank smell of rotting vegetation. In figurative contexts
smell may be either positive or negative:
the sweet smell of success; a strong smell of duplicity pervading the affair.
Scent refers either to delicate and pleasing aromas or to faint, barely perceptible smells:
the scent of lilacs on the soft spring breeze; deer alarmed by the scent of man.
Stench is strongly negative, referring both literally and figuratively to what is foul, sickening, or repulsive:
the stench of rotting flesh; steeped in the stench of iniquity and treason.
OTHER WORDS FROM odor
o·dor·ful, adjective o·dor·less, adjectiveWords nearby odor
Example sentences from the Web for odorless
British Dictionary definitions for odorless
Derived forms of odor
odorless, adjectiveMedical definitions for odorless
odor
[ ō′dər ]
n.
The property or quality of a thing that affects, stimulates, or is perceived by the sense of smell.
A sensation, stimulation, or perception of the sense of smell.