osmatic

American  

[oz-mat-ik] / ɒzˈmæt ɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the sense of smell.

2. of or relating to animals having a keenly developed sense of smell.

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Etymology

Origin of osmatic

First recorded in 1885–90; from French osmatique, equivalent to Greek osm(ḗ) “smell” + French -atique ( see -ate ¹, -ic)

Explanation

Dogs are famously osmatic animals: They have an excellent sense of smell. Many dogs can sniff out people, places, and things, and for that reason, they’re sometimes used to detect illegal substances or to find lost people. Osmatic is derived from the Greek root osme, meaning "smell." Unlike dogs, humans are not particularly osmatic, as we generally rely more on sight than smell. Some creatures, such as dolphins, are not osmatic at all: They have very little or no sense of smell. The word osmatic is very uncommon. It is used primarily in biology, but don’t confuse it with a different biological term, osmotic, which relates to osmosis, the process of a solvent moving through a semi-permeable membrane.

Example Sentences

In highly osmatic such as the dog it is large.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4 "Bradford, William" to "Brequigny, Louis" by Various