odor

especially British, o·dour

[oh-der]

noun

1. the property of a substance that activates the sense of smell.

   to have an unpleasant odor.

2. a sensation perceived by the sense of smell; scent.

3. an agreeable scent; fragrance.

   Synonyms: perfume, redolence, aroma

4. a disagreeable smell.

5. a quality or property characteristic or suggestive of something.

   An odor of suspicion surrounded his testimony.

6. repute.

   in bad odor with the whole community.

7. Archaic.,  something that has a pleasant scent.

odor

/ ˈəʊdə /

noun

1. the US spelling of odour

Other Word Forms

• odorful adjective
• odorless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of odor¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin

Synonym Study

Odor, smell, scent, stench all refer to sensations perceived through the nose by the olfactory nerves. Odor and smell in literal contexts are often interchangeable. Figuratively, odor also usually occurs in positive contexts: the odor of sanctity. Smell is the most general and neutral of these two terms, deriving connotation generally from the context in which it is used: the tempting smell of fresh-baked bread; the rank smell of rotting vegetation. In figurative contexts smell may be either positive or negative: the sweet smell of success; a strong smell of duplicity pervading the affair. Scent refers either to delicate and pleasing aromas or to faint, barely perceptible smells: the scent of lilacs on the soft spring breeze; deer alarmed by the scent of man. Stench is strongly negative, referring both literally and figuratively to what is foul, sickening, or repulsive: the stench of rotting flesh; steeped in the stench of iniquity and treason.

Example Sentences

The optional Power Pod keeps plant material separate, eliminating the need to strain, while a built-in carbon filter helps keep odors discreet.

Read more on Salon

A dozen minors interviewed in Monterey County described picking berries in fields that smelled of chemicals or working in fields where tractors had sprayed liquids with a strong chemical odor.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He and his sister said they harvested strawberries in a field where a tractor had sprayed a liquid with a strong chemical odor.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

They called in thousands of odor complaints to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, with many citing headaches, nausea, nosebleeds and difficulty breathing.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Suddenly, the disrespectful odor of gigantic cow waste hits me in the face.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• aroma 
• flavor 
• perfume 
• smell 
• stench 
• stink 
• whiff