Nearby words
odorize, odorless, odorosity, odorous, odorously, odour, odour of sanctity, odovacar, odra, odsbodikins, odt
Definition for odour (2 of 2)
odor
[ oh-der ]
/ ˈoʊ dər /
noun
Also especially British, o·dour.
Origin of odor
1250–1300; Middle English < Old French < Latin
SYNONYMS FOR odor
3 aroma, redolence, perfume. 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.
Related formso·dor·ful, adjectiveo·dor·less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for odour
British Dictionary definitions for odour (1 of 2)
odour
US odor
/ (ˈəʊdə) /
noun
the property of a substance that gives it a characteristic scent or smell
a pervasive quality about somethingan odour of dishonesty
repute or regard (in the phrases in good odour, in bad odour)
Derived Formsodourless or US odorless, adjective
Word Origin for odour
C13: from Old French odur, from Latin odor; related to Latin olēre to smell, Greek ōzein
British Dictionary definitions for odour (2 of 2)
Derived Formsodorless, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medicine definitions for odour
odor
[ ō′dər ]
n.
The property or quality of a thing that affects, stimulates, or is perceived by the sense of smell.
A sensation, stimulation, or perception of the sense of smell.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.