scent mark

¹

noun

, Animal Behavior.

1. a distinctive odor that an animal deposits on the ground or other surface, as by urinating, which functions as an identifying signal to other animals of the species.

scent-mark

²

[ sent-mahrk ]

verb (used without object)

1. to deposit a scent mark; mark.

verb (used with object)

1. to deposit a scent mark on; mark.

Word History and Origins

Origin of scent mark¹

First recorded in 1955–60