First recorded in 1960–65.
Comes from petro-, a combining form meaning \"rock,\" and ichor, which in classical mythology means “ethereal fluid flowing in the veins of the gods.”
Sign up for more Word of the Day!

\r\nEXAMPLES OF PETRICHOR\r\n

The desert landscape was quickly transformed as petrichor filled the air after a long-awaited rainstorm.
As the storm passed, leaving behind puddles and damp earth, the sweet petrichor lingered like a fond memory.

\r\nIt's National Poetry Month, and we’ve created a challenge that really is for everyone. Submit now!","audio":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/NEW2016/petrichor_000.mp3","definitions":[{"partofspeech":"noun","data":"a distinctive scent, usually described as earthy, pleasant, or sweet, produced by rainfall on very dry ground."}],"examples":[],"imageUrl":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/petrichor_IG.png","accentColor":"#0063D7"}},"status":"succeeded"}},"meta":{"requestId":"SkPqwG4ru2AyOsyeuWjxo","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"pitch-surface","entry":"pitch surface"},{"slug":"pitch-woo","entry":"pitch woo"},{"slug":"pitchy","entry":"pitchy"},{"slug":"pit-dwelling","entry":"pit dwelling"},{"slug":"piteous","entry":"piteous"}],"after":[{"slug":"pitfall","entry":"pitfall"},{"slug":"pit-grave","entry":"pit grave"},{"slug":"pith","entry":"pith"},{"slug":"pithead","entry":"pithead"},{"slug":"pithecanthrope","entry":"pithecanthrope"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"pitesti"},"requestId":"HMuaQkudAdupX-P9aGUaW","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"pitesti"},"requestId":"iTklAdmIXyDQWiCyPiH_J","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"Entry","audioPronunciations":[{"mpeg":"https://nonprod-audio.dictionary.com/NEW2016/pitesti_000/pitesti_000.mp3"}],"confusableNotes":[],"genderNotes":[],"grammarNotes":[],"headword":{"displayForm":"Pitesti","slug":"pitesti"},"idioms":[],"orderKey":99999010,"ordinal":10,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechBlock":[{"definitions":[{"antonymsConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"type\": \"def\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"a city in S central Romania, on the Arge\\u015f River.\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]","examples":[],"ordinal":1,"subdefinitions":[],"synonymsConnection":{"edges":[]}}],"inflectionSets":[],"labelSet":null,"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciationNotes":[],"pronunciationSet":{"pronunciationSetChunk":"{\"type\": \"pronunciation_set\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e72d090.4aeb\", \"pronunciationGroupChunks\": [{\"type\": \"pronunciation_group\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e72d090.4aec\", \"ipaChunks\": [{\"text\": \"p\\u026a\\u02c8t\\u025b\\u0283t\", \"type\": \"text\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e72d090.4aed\"}], \"spellChunks\": [{\"text\": \"pi-\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"text\": \"tesht\", \"type\": \"bold\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e72d090.4aef\"}]}]}"},"relatedFormSets":[],"sensitiveNotes":[],"spellingNotes":[],"synonymStudy":[],"usageAlerts":[],"usageNotes":[],"variants":[],"verbPhrases":[]}],"url":"pitesti"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"pitesti"},"requestId":"B1hvcZy_wI0lEW9pWVMgd","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"pitesti","displayForm":"Pitesti","canonicalSlug":"pitesti","content":[{"source":"luna","entries":[{"id":"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e72d090.4ae7","type":"normal","entry":"Pitesti","entrySyllabified":"Pi·testi","entryVariants":[],"homograph":null,"pronunciation":{"ipa":"pɪˈtɛʃt ","spell":"pi-tesht ","audio":{"audio/ogg":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/lunawav/NEW2016/pitesti_000.ogg","audio/mpeg":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/NEW2016/pitesti_000.mp3"}},"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"","postdefinitionContent":"","definition":"a city in S central Romania, on the Argeş River.","synonyms":"","antonyms":"","cites":[]}],"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":""}],"origin":null,"originData":null,"supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"variantSpellings":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"confusables":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":118975,"index-rank-01":["pitesti"],"index-rank-02":[],"index-rank-03":[],"index-rank-04":["pitesti's","pitestis","pitestis'"],"index-rank-05":[],"index-rank-06":[],"index-rank-07":[],"index-rank-08":[],"index-rank-09":[],"index-rank-10":[],"index-rank-11":[],"index-rank-12":[],"index-rank-13":[],"index-rank-14":[],"index-rank-15":[],"tunaSlug":null,"isFeaturedMetaSlug":false}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"pitesti"},"requestId":"yzSR6EvizWgQeCDVGMoKC","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":["Pitesti","podesta","priest","protest","presto","pesto","prest","pit stop","potestas","Pest","Pulesati","pest","pits","test","kitset","PSATest","Potosí","pretest","PTSD","potent","Test.","pesty","piste","test.","testa","testy","Pitatus","pour test","pitsaw","t-test","Pistoia","attest","capitasti","detest","latest","patent","pigsty","pistou","pitted","postie","retest","Pietas","poetaster","piteous","posset","posttest","patient","pts","Pietism","pietism","peseta","pester","pot still","testee","tester","id est","piosity","point-set","Pap test","pissed","pts.","tost","Post-it","pe-tsai","spot test"],"tuna":["potest","portest","pietist","partest","pottiest","bitest","pinest","puttiest","priest","protest","pietistic","pit stop","pest","pits","spotest","test","pitchest","PTSD","dirtest","fittest","painest","pickest","pillest","riotest","testy","quitest","suitest","peaest","put rest","id est"],"lunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"Pitesti","slug":"pitesti"},{"displayForm":"podesta","slug":"podesta"},{"displayForm":"priest","slug":"priest"},{"displayForm":"protest","slug":"protest"},{"displayForm":"presto","slug":"presto"},{"displayForm":"pesto","slug":"pesto"},{"displayForm":"prest","slug":"prest"},{"displayForm":"pit stop","slug":"pit-stop"},{"displayForm":"potestas","slug":"potestas"},{"displayForm":"Pest","slug":"pest"},{"displayForm":"Pulesati","slug":"pulesati"},{"displayForm":"pest","slug":"pest"},{"displayForm":"pits","slug":"pits"},{"displayForm":"test","slug":"test"},{"displayForm":"kitset","slug":"kitset"},{"displayForm":"Potosí","slug":"potosi"},{"displayForm":"pretest","slug":"pretest"},{"displayForm":"PTSD","slug":"ptsd"},{"displayForm":"potent","slug":"potent"},{"displayForm":"Test.","slug":"test"},{"displayForm":"pesty","slug":"pesty"},{"displayForm":"piste","slug":"piste"},{"displayForm":"test.","slug":"test"},{"displayForm":"testa","slug":"testa"},{"displayForm":"testy","slug":"testy"},{"displayForm":"Pitatus","slug":"pitatus"},{"displayForm":"pour test","slug":"pour-test"},{"displayForm":"pitsaw","slug":"pitsaw"},{"displayForm":"t-test","slug":"t-test"},{"displayForm":"Pistoia","slug":"pistoia"},{"displayForm":"attest","slug":"attest"},{"displayForm":"capitasti","slug":"capitasti"},{"displayForm":"detest","slug":"detest"},{"displayForm":"latest","slug":"latest"},{"displayForm":"patent","slug":"patent"},{"displayForm":"pigsty","slug":"pigsty"},{"displayForm":"pistou","slug":"pistou"},{"displayForm":"pitted","slug":"pitted"},{"displayForm":"postie","slug":"postie"},{"displayForm":"retest","slug":"retest"},{"displayForm":"Pietas","slug":"pietas"},{"displayForm":"poetaster","slug":"poetaster"},{"displayForm":"piteous","slug":"piteous"},{"displayForm":"posset","slug":"posset"},{"displayForm":"posttest","slug":"posttest"},{"displayForm":"patient","slug":"patient"},{"displayForm":"pts","slug":"pts"},{"displayForm":"Pietism","slug":"pietism"},{"displayForm":"pietism","slug":"pietism"},{"displayForm":"peseta","slug":"peseta"},{"displayForm":"pester","slug":"pester"},{"displayForm":"pot still","slug":"pot-still"},{"displayForm":"testee","slug":"testee"},{"displayForm":"tester","slug":"tester"},{"displayForm":"id est","slug":"id-est"},{"displayForm":"piosity","slug":"piosity"},{"displayForm":"point-set","slug":"point-set"},{"displayForm":"Pap test","slug":"pap-test"},{"displayForm":"pissed","slug":"pissed"},{"displayForm":"pts.","slug":"pts"},{"displayForm":"tost","slug":"tost"},{"displayForm":"Post-it","slug":"post-it"},{"displayForm":"pe-tsai","slug":"pe-tsai"},{"displayForm":"spot test","slug":"spot-test"}],"tunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"potest","slug":"potest"},{"displayForm":"portest","slug":"portest"},{"displayForm":"pietist","slug":"pietist"},{"displayForm":"partest","slug":"partest"},{"displayForm":"pottiest","slug":"pottiest"},{"displayForm":"bitest","slug":"bitest"},{"displayForm":"pinest","slug":"pinest"},{"displayForm":"puttiest","slug":"puttiest"},{"displayForm":"priest","slug":"priest"},{"displayForm":"protest","slug":"protest"},{"displayForm":"pietistic","slug":"pietistic"},{"displayForm":"pit stop","slug":"pit%20stop"},{"displayForm":"pest","slug":"pest"},{"displayForm":"pits","slug":"pits"},{"displayForm":"spotest","slug":"spotest"},{"displayForm":"test","slug":"test"},{"displayForm":"pitchest","slug":"pitchest"},{"displayForm":"PTSD","slug":"ptsd"},{"displayForm":"dirtest","slug":"dirtest"},{"displayForm":"fittest","slug":"fittest"},{"displayForm":"painest","slug":"painest"},{"displayForm":"pickest","slug":"pickest"},{"displayForm":"pillest","slug":"pillest"},{"displayForm":"riotest","slug":"riotest"},{"displayForm":"testy","slug":"testy"},{"displayForm":"quitest","slug":"quitest"},{"displayForm":"suitest","slug":"suitest"},{"displayForm":"peaest","slug":"peaest"},{"displayForm":"put rest","slug":"put%20rest"},{"displayForm":"id est","slug":"id%20est"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"pitesti"},"requestId":"B_hlRDh9eV239yp4kFNsM","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

Pitesti

noun

Word of the Day