anosmia

[ an-oz-mee-uh, -os- ]

nounPathology.

absence or loss of the sense of smell.

Origin of anosmia

1805–15; <New Latin <Greek an-an-¹ + osm(ḗ) smell (akin to ózein to smell) + -ia-ia

Also called olfactory anesthesia .

Other words from anosmia

an·os·mat·ic [an-uhz-mat-ik], /ˌæn əzˈmæt ɪk/, an·os·mic, adjective

Words Nearby anosmia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use anosmia in a sentence

This phenomenon, known as anosmia, has always affected a small number of people—some estimates put it at roughly 3 percent of adults over age 40—because of genetics, illnesses such as Parkinson’s, or radiation treatment.
Can texture change the way food tastes? | Kendra Pierre-Louis | January 18, 2022 | Popular-Science
People with anosmia often report finding food less pleasurable.
Can texture change the way food tastes? | Kendra Pierre-Louis | January 18, 2022 | Popular-Science
Cases of complete anosmia and qualitative obtuseness are not uncommon.
Criminal Man | Gina Lombroso-Ferrero

British Dictionary definitions for anosmia

anosmia

/ (ænˈɒzmɪə, -ˈɒs-) /

noun

pathol loss of the sense of smell, usually as the result of a lesion of the olfactory nerve, disease in another organ or part, or obstruction of the nasal passages

Origin of anosmia

C19: from New Latin, from an- + Greek osmē smell, from ozein to smell

Derived forms of anosmia

anosmatic (ˌænɒzˈmætɪk) or anosmic, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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