First recorded in 1960–65.
Comes from petro-, a combining form meaning \"rock,\" and ichor, which in classical mythology means “ethereal fluid flowing in the veins of the gods.”
Sign up for more Word of the Day!

\r\nEXAMPLES OF PETRICHOR\r\n

The desert landscape was quickly transformed as petrichor filled the air after a long-awaited rainstorm.
As the storm passed, leaving behind puddles and damp earth, the sweet petrichor lingered like a fond memory.

\r\nIt's National Poetry Month, and we’ve created a challenge that really is for everyone. Submit now!","audio":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/NEW2016/petrichor_000.mp3","definitions":[{"partofspeech":"noun","data":"a distinctive scent, usually described as earthy, pleasant, or sweet, produced by rainfall on very dry ground."}],"examples":[],"imageUrl":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/petrichor_IG.png","accentColor":"#0063D7"}},"status":"succeeded"}},"meta":{"requestId":"Q4xT9EOcUESiUJsgMzFLw","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"vislinsky-zaliv","entry":"Vislinsky Zaliv"},{"slug":"vis-major","entry":"vis major"},{"slug":"visna","entry":"visna"},{"slug":"viso","entry":"Viso"},{"slug":"visor","entry":"visor"}],"after":[{"slug":"vista","entry":"vista"},{"slug":"vistadome","entry":"vistadome"},{"slug":"vistaed","entry":"vistaed"},{"slug":"vistula","entry":"Vistula"},{"slug":"visual","entry":"visual"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"visser--t-hooft"},"requestId":"w0nTVu4OW1rO1CIO1UPQm","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"visser--t-hooft"},"requestId":"sFUkZ3YiKJ3tcA2p6ECOb","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"Entry","audioPronunciations":[{"mpeg":"https://nonprod-audio.dictionary.com/V01/V0159800/V0159800.mp3"}],"confusableNotes":[],"genderNotes":[],"grammarNotes":[],"headword":{"displayForm":"Visser 't Hooft","slug":"visser-t-hooft"},"idioms":[],"orderKey":99999010,"ordinal":10,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechBlock":[{"definitions":[{"antonymsConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"text\": \"Wil\\u00b7lem A\\u00b7dolf\", \"type\": \"name\"}, {\"type\": \"pronunciation_set\", \"punc\": \"comma\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e7c6aaf.-6491\", \"pronunciationGroupChunks\": [{\"type\": \"pronunciation_group\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e7c6aaf.-6490\", \"ipaChunks\": [{\"text\": \"\\u02c8v\\u026al \\u0259m \\u02c8\\u0251 d\\u0254lf\", \"type\": \"text\", \"pointsTo\": \"u1d12ccc8b4c7be82.4ec6689c.17fd50861d7.-6d9e\"}], \"spellChunks\": [{\"text\": \"vil\", \"type\": \"bold\", \"pointsTo\": \"u1d12ccc8b4c7be82.4ec6689c.17fd50861d7.-6d9c\"}, {\"text\": \"-\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"text\": \"uh\", \"type\": \"emphasis\", \"pointsTo\": \"u1d12ccc8b4c7be82.4ec6689c.17fd50861d7.-6d9b\"}, {\"text\": \"m \", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"text\": \"ah\", \"type\": \"bold\", \"pointsTo\": \"u1d12ccc8b4c7be82.4ec6689c.17fd50861d7.-6d9a\"}, {\"text\": \"-dawlf\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]}, {\"text\": \"1900\\u201385,\", \"type\": \"date\"}, {\"type\": \"def\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"Dutch Protestant clergyman and writer: leader in ecumenical movement.\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]","examples":[],"ordinal":1,"subdefinitions":[],"synonymsConnection":{"edges":[]}}],"inflectionSets":[],"labelSet":null,"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciationNotes":[],"pronunciationSet":{"pronunciationSetChunk":"{\"type\": \"pronunciation_set\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e7c6aaf.-649f\", \"pronunciationGroupChunks\": [{\"type\": \"pronunciation_group\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e7c6aaf.-649e\", \"ipaChunks\": [{\"text\": \"\\u02c8v\\u026as \\u0259rt \\u02ccho\\u028aft\", \"type\": \"text\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e7c6aaf.-649d\"}], \"spellChunks\": [{\"text\": \"vis\", \"type\": \"bold\", \"pointsTo\": \"u650a6a61e87222bc.3f553ba1.185219adb28.-57ca\"}, {\"text\": \"-ert hohft\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]}"},"relatedFormSets":[],"sensitiveNotes":[],"spellingNotes":[],"synonymStudy":[],"usageAlerts":[],"usageNotes":[],"variants":[],"verbPhrases":[]}],"url":"visser-t-hooft"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"visser--t-hooft"},"requestId":"pzJH4psBdZzuGPZqTyJUB","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"visser--t-hooft","displayForm":"Visser 't Hooft","canonicalSlug":"visser--t-hooft","content":[{"source":"luna","entries":[{"id":"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e7c6aaf.-64a3","type":"normal","entry":"Visser 't Hooft","entrySyllabified":"Vis·ser 't Hooft","entryVariants":[],"homograph":null,"pronunciation":{"ipa":"ˈvɪs ərt ˌhoʊft ","spell":"vis-ert hohft ","audio":{"audio/ogg":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/lunawav/V01/V0159800.ogg","audio/mpeg":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/V01/V0159800.mp3"}},"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"Wil·lem A·dolf

[vil-uhm ah-dawlf], /ˈvɪl əm ˈɑ dɔlf/, 1900–85,","postdefinitionContent":"","definition":"Dutch Protestant clergyman and writer: leader in ecumenical movement.","synonyms":"","antonyms":"","cites":[]}],"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":""}],"origin":null,"originData":null,"supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"variantSpellings":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"confusables":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":167196,"index-rank-01":["visser 't hooft"],"index-rank-02":[],"index-rank-03":[],"index-rank-04":["visser 't hooft's"],"index-rank-05":[],"index-rank-06":["visser t hooft","willem adolf visser 't hooft","willem visser 't hooft"],"index-rank-07":[],"index-rank-08":[],"index-rank-09":[],"index-rank-10":[],"index-rank-11":[],"index-rank-12":[],"index-rank-13":[],"index-rank-14":[],"index-rank-15":["visser-t-hooft"],"tunaSlug":null,"isFeaturedMetaSlug":false}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"visser--t-hooft"},"requestId":"eYfMAwLE63KYWbVmMpWb8","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":["vise","visé","Viseu","visor","kisser","pisser","Vassar","vizier","vies","vase","visa","vis","Wissler","viscera","Vice","Vis.","Viso","Weiser","Wise","vice","vis.","vss.","wise","Asser","Issei","Miser","lisse","miser","riser","viper","Swisser","Vassa","Vesey","Weser","verse","vice-","vizor","Vesper","Wister","vesper","vessel","-wise","-verse"],"tuna":["vise","visor","wiser","hisser","kisser","vase","visa","wussier","vis","viscera","sissier","vice","wise","vised","asser","miser","nisse","viper","verse","vaster","vesper","vessel","viseed"],"lunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"vise","slug":"vise"},{"displayForm":"visé","slug":"vise"},{"displayForm":"Viseu","slug":"viseu"},{"displayForm":"visor","slug":"visor"},{"displayForm":"kisser","slug":"kisser"},{"displayForm":"pisser","slug":"pisser"},{"displayForm":"Vassar","slug":"vassar"},{"displayForm":"vizier","slug":"vizier"},{"displayForm":"vies","slug":"vies"},{"displayForm":"vase","slug":"vase"},{"displayForm":"visa","slug":"visa"},{"displayForm":"vis","slug":"vis"},{"displayForm":"Wissler","slug":"wissler"},{"displayForm":"viscera","slug":"viscera"},{"displayForm":"Vice","slug":"vice"},{"displayForm":"Vis.","slug":"vis"},{"displayForm":"Viso","slug":"viso"},{"displayForm":"Weiser","slug":"weiser"},{"displayForm":"Wise","slug":"wise"},{"displayForm":"vice","slug":"vice"},{"displayForm":"vis.","slug":"vis"},{"displayForm":"vss.","slug":"vss"},{"displayForm":"wise","slug":"wise"},{"displayForm":"Asser","slug":"asser"},{"displayForm":"Issei","slug":"issei"},{"displayForm":"Miser","slug":" The"},{"displayForm":"lisse","slug":"lisse"},{"displayForm":"miser","slug":"miser"},{"displayForm":"riser","slug":"riser"},{"displayForm":"viper","slug":"viper"},{"displayForm":"Swisser","slug":"swisser"},{"displayForm":"Vassa","slug":"vassa"},{"displayForm":"Vesey","slug":"vesey"},{"displayForm":"Weser","slug":"weser"},{"displayForm":"verse","slug":"verse"},{"displayForm":"vice-","slug":"vice"},{"displayForm":"vizor","slug":"vizor"},{"displayForm":"Vesper","slug":"vesper"},{"displayForm":"Wister","slug":"wister"},{"displayForm":"vesper","slug":"vesper"},{"displayForm":"vessel","slug":"vessel"},{"displayForm":"-wise","slug":"wise"},{"displayForm":"-verse","slug":"verse"}],"tunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"vise","slug":"vise"},{"displayForm":"visor","slug":"visor"},{"displayForm":"wiser","slug":"wiser"},{"displayForm":"hisser","slug":"hisser"},{"displayForm":"kisser","slug":"kisser"},{"displayForm":"vase","slug":"vase"},{"displayForm":"visa","slug":"visa"},{"displayForm":"wussier","slug":"wussier"},{"displayForm":"vis","slug":"vis"},{"displayForm":"viscera","slug":"viscera"},{"displayForm":"sissier","slug":"sissier"},{"displayForm":"vice","slug":"vice"},{"displayForm":"wise","slug":"wise"},{"displayForm":"vised","slug":"vised"},{"displayForm":"asser","slug":"asser"},{"displayForm":"miser","slug":"miser"},{"displayForm":"nisse","slug":"nisse"},{"displayForm":"viper","slug":"viper"},{"displayForm":"verse","slug":"verse"},{"displayForm":"vaster","slug":"vaster"},{"displayForm":"vesper","slug":"vesper"},{"displayForm":"vessel","slug":"vessel"},{"displayForm":"viseed","slug":"viseed"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"visser--t-hooft"},"requestId":"XJ5Ii9KFcSUlc87RZO0_U","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

Visser 't Hooft

noun

Word of the Day