effluvium

[ ih-floo-vee-uh m ]

/ ɪˈflu vi əm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR effluvium ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ef·flu·vi·a [ih-floo-vee-uh] /ɪˈflu vi ə/, ef·flu·vi·ums.

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

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

efflorescence, efflorescent, effluence, effluent, effluvia, effluvia, efflux, effort, effort bargain, effort syndrome, effortful

Origin of effluvium

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

Related formsef·flu·vi·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for effluvia

As an Ebola patient slips from bad to worse to dire, he can expel as many as two and a half gallons of effluvia a day.
Ebola Nurses Are As Brave As Soldiers|Michael Daly|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One theory put forward for the supposed medical value of amulets was the Doctrine of Effluvia.
Bygone Beliefs|H. Stanley Redgrove
I preferred to face the storm to bearing the effluvia of that highland abode.
Life and Work in Benares and Kumaon, 1839-1877|James Kennedy
The effluvia became more sensible as I approached the door of the chamber.
Arthur Mervyn|Charles Brockden Brown

Zoz perfume, now so close to him, made him feel dizzy with its effluvia.
Two banks of the Seine|Fernand Vandrem
I tell you, Kerr, added she, the effluvia from your shop is insupportable.
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume 19|Various

British Dictionary definitions for effluvia

effluvium

/ (ɛˈfluːvɪəm) /

noun plural -via (-vɪə) or -viums

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

Derived Formseffluvial, adjective

Word Origin for effluvium

C17: from Latin: a flowing out; see effluent

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

Word Origin and History for effluvia (1 of 2)

effluvia

Latin plural of effluvium.

Word Origin and History for effluvia (1 of 2)

effluvium

1640s, from Latin effluvium "a flowing out," from effluere (see effluence).

Medicine definitions for effluvia

effluvium

[ ĭ-flōō′vē-əm ]

n. pl. ef•flu•vi•ums

A shedding, especially of hair.

An exhalation, especially one of bad odor or injurious influence. No longer in technical use.