effluvium

American  

[ih-floo-vee-uhm] / ɪˈflu vi əm /

noun

plural

effluvia, effluviums

1. a slight or invisible exhalation or vapor, especially one that is disagreeable or noxious.

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effluvium British  

/ ɛˈfluːvɪəm /

noun

1. an unpleasant smell or exhalation, as of gaseous waste or decaying matter

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Other Word Forms

• effluvial
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of effluvium

1640–50; < Latin, equivalent to ef- ef- + fluv-, base of fluere to flow ( see effluent) + -ium -ium

Explanation

Effluvium is a smelly gas, vapor, or an exhalation. You wouldn't want to breathe in the effluvium from a cargo ship or you might become ill. Stick to sailing. Not a particularly common word these days, effluvium dates back to the 1600's, meaning "a flowing out of air." Since the effluvium seeping out of the tire factory's chimney was invisible, park officials took months to realize fumes were killing hundreds of birds. The Romans were the first to invent a sewage system, thereby diverting effluvium into the drains and out of the city. Thank you, Romans.

Example Sentences

Effluvium: a foul or unpleasant smell or emanation.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.

Effluvium, ef-flōō′vi-um, n. minute particles that flow out from bodies: disagreeable vapours rising from decaying matter:—pl.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various