olfactory

American  

[ol-fak-tuh-ree, -tree, ohl-] / ɒlˈfæk tə ri, -tri, oʊl- /

adjective

1. of or relating to the sense of smell.

   olfactory organs.

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noun

• olfactories
  plural

1. Usually olfactories. an olfactory organ.

2. olfactory nerve.

olfactory British  

/ -trɪ, ɒlˈfæktərɪ /

adjective

1. of or relating to the sense of smell

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noun

1. (usually plural) an organ or nerve concerned with the sense of smell

olfactory Scientific  

/ ŏl-făk′tə-rē,ōl- /

1. Relating to or involving the organs or sense of smell.

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olfactory Cultural  

1. A descriptive term for the sense of smell.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonolfactory
  adjective
• olfactorily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• olfactories
  plural

Etymology

Origin of olfactory

1650–60; < Latin olfactōrius, equivalent to olfac ( ere ) to smell at, sniff ( ol ( ēre ) to smell (akin to odor ) + facere to make, do) + -tōrius -tory ¹

Explanation

Something olfactory has to do with the sense of smell. The odor from that factory is a symphony of olfactory delights. Not. Though we typically think of dogs as the olfactory champions of the world, what with their remarkable ability to sniff out practically anything, the true title belongs to the polar bear. Healthy, adult polar bears possess olfactory gifts that boggle the mind: they can smell a seal under the ice from over a kilometer away. One way to try to remember the meaning of the word olfactory is to think of factory. Your nose is the "factory" where odors are processed. What visual is to the eyes, olfactory is to the nose.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

olfactory olfactories

Septimus Piesse, a 19th-century chemist, translated sounds into smells, proclaiming an “octave of odors,” the authors explain, “with correspondences between notes and scents providing the basis for harmonious olfactory combinations.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

The unusual diversity found in their olfactory genes could also help explain a behavioral mystery.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

Pigeons "have an extremely sophisticated olfactory system, so that they can smell grass seed when it's being sown," said Davis.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

When I hear the word potluck, I am transported, with a kind of olfactory immediacy, to the basement of my grandmother’s church.

From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2026

Electrodes in the olfactory bulbs of salmon will fire when the olfactory epithelium is exposed to water from their spawning grounds, whereas water from other streams causes no response.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

“Thank God my moustache filters out some of the stench. My olfactories are already beginning to send out distress signals.”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

From the cauldron profound spiced aromas unseen Mount to tease and delight your olfactories keen, The while you inhale with felicity fraught, The enchanting perfume that a zephyr has brought.

From All About Coffee by William H. (William Harrison) Ukers

I acknowledge that I am often guided by my olfactories in doing things that seem so very unaccountable to my friends.

From The World As I Have Found It Sequel to Incidents in the Life of a Blind Girl by Mary L. Day

I conclude that our friend had his nest somewhere near and was disturbed by the fire, and his olfactories excited by the smell of the broiled fish.

From The Log House by the Lake A Tale of Canada by William Henry Giles Kingston

The water, owing to causes to which I have already alluded, was exceedingly offensive to the palate and the olfactories.

From Jack in the Forecastle or, Incidents in the Early Life of Hawser Martingale by John Sherburne Sleeper

Related Words

• audiovisual
• auditory
• aural
• neural
• neurological
• sensual
• sonic
• tactile
• visual