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

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

How to use anosmia in a sentence

Combine this with the high specificity of anosmia relative to other symptoms, and we believe daily at-home smell checks can help fill the need for a rapid, cheap and specific screening tool.
Daily DIY Sniff Checks Could Catch Many Cases Of COVID-19 | LGBTQ-Editor | December 17, 2020 | No Straight News
Researchers at a hospital in San Diego found that people with anosmia were much less likely to be hospitalized than others with the disease.
Can’t smell or taste the bacon? It’s probably a sign of COVID-19. | Tara Santora | December 11, 2020 | Popular-Science

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

Browse