mephitis

[muh-fahy-tis]

See more synonyms for mephitis on Thesaurus.com

noun

(in nontechnical use) a noxious or pestilential exhalation from the earth, as poison gas.
any noisome or poisonous stench.

Origin of mephitis

1700–10; < Latin mephītis, mefītis; compare Oscan Mefit(eí) the goddess of such exhalations

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for mephitis

stink, smell, reek, vapor, odor, gas, fumes, smog, pollution, stench, fetor, mephitis, effluvium, redolence, funk, malodor

Examples from the Web for mephitis

Historical Examples of mephitis

Mephitis is, however, purely American wherever he comes from.
Belford's Magazine, Vol II, No. 10, March 1889
Various
A skunk, (mephitis Americana,) which was killed in the afternoon, made a supper for one of the messes.
The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, Oregon and California
Brevet Col. J.C. Fremont
Tortoises were very common, and the mephitis left frequent traces of his existence.
In Darkest Africa, Vol. 1; or, The quest, rescue and retreat of Emin, governor of Equatoria
Henry Morton Stanley
Mephitis, me-fī′tis, n. a poisonous exhalation from the ground or from decaying substances—also Mephī′tism.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)
Various
Because the odor is quite like Mephitis it is considered a so-called anti-spasmodic.
New, Old, and Forgotten Remedies: Papers by Many Writers
Various

mephitis in Medicine

mephitis

[mə-fī′tĭs]

n.

An offensive smell; a stench.
A poisonous or foul-smelling gas emitted from the earth.

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