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smelling salts

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noun (used with a plural verb)
a preparation for smelling, essentially of ammonium carbonate with some agreeable scent, used as a stimulant and restorative.
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Origin of smelling salts

First recorded in 1830–40
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use smelling salts in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for smelling salts

smelling salts

pl n
a pungent preparation containing crystals of ammonium carbonate that has a stimulant action when sniffed in cases of faintness, headache, etc
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
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