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effluvium

[ih-floo-vee-uh m]
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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.

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RELATED WORDS

exhaust, odor, vapor, smell, exhalation

Nearby words

  1. efflorescence,
  2. efflorescent,
  3. effluence,
  4. effluent,
  5. effluvia,
  6. efflux,
  7. effort,
  8. effort bargain,
  9. effort syndrome,
  10. 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 effluvium

British Dictionary definitions for effluvium

effluvium

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 effluvium

effluvium

n.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for effluvium

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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.