olfaction

[ol-fak-shuh n, ohl-]

noun

the act of smelling.

the sense of smell.

Origin of olfaction

1840–50; < Latin olfact(us) past participle of olfacere to smell (see olfactory) + -ion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for olfaction

olfaction

noun

the sense of smell

the act or function of smelling

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 olfaction

noun of action from Latin olfactus, past participle of olfacere "to smell, get the smell of" (transitive), from olere "to emit a smell" (see odor) + facere "to make" (see factitious).

olfaction in Medicine

olfaction

[ŏl-făk′shən, ōl-]

n.

The sense of smell.