odour

[oh-der]

noun

Chiefly British.

1. a variant of odor.

odour

/ ˈəʊdə /

noun

1. the property of a substance that gives it a characteristic scent or smell

2. a pervasive quality about something

   an odour of dishonesty

3. repute or regard (in the phrases in good odour, in bad odour )

Other Word Forms

• odourless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of odour¹

C13: from Old French odur, from Latin odor; related to Latin olēre to smell, Greek ōzein

Example Sentences

One advert for a deodorant called Mum, published in an American magazine in 1938, urged women to "face the truth about underarm perspiration odour".

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Almost every household has at least one pair of shoes whose odour is impossible to ignore.

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Leakage worries are normal but Dr Tempest says they are reliable for most people and have a built-in waterproof layer and odour lining.

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Its spokesman said monthly off-site odour assessments conducted between January and July 2025 "did not detect any odours attributable to the licenced waste facility".

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The Environment Agency urged anyone who "notices any unusual smells or odours that concern them" to report them.

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