Adjacent Words

Smell definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SMELL, v.t. pret and pp. smelled, smelt. [I have not found this word in any other language.] TO perceive by the nose, or by the olfactory nerves; to have a sensation excited in certain organs of the nose by particular qualities of a body, which are transmitted in fine particles, often form a distance; as, to smell a rose; to smell perfumes.
TO SMELL OUT, is a low phrase signifying to find out by sagacity.
TO SMELL A RAT, is a low phrase signifying to suspect strongly.
SMELL, v.i.
1. To affect the olfactory nerves; to have an odor or particualr scent; followed by of; as to smell of smoke; to smell of musk.
2. To have a particular tincuture or smack or any quality; as, a report smells of calumny. [Not elegant.]
3. To practice smelling. Exodus 30.
4. To exercise sagacity.
SMELL, n.
1. The sense of faculty by which through the instrumentally of the olfactory nerves; or the faculty of perceiving by the organs of the nose; one of the five senses. In some species of beasts, the smell is remark able acute, particularly in the canine species.
2. Scent; odor; the quality of bodies which affects the olfactory organs; as the smell of mint; the smell of geranium. The sweetest smell in the air is that of the white double violet.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form; "she loved the smell of roses" [syn: smell, odor, odour, olfactory sensation, olfactory perception]
2: any property detected by the olfactory system [syn: olfactory property, smell, aroma, odor, odour, scent]
3: the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people; "the feel of the city excited him"; "a clergyman improved the tone of the meeting"; "it had the smell of treason" [syn: spirit, tone, feel, feeling, flavor, flavour, look, smell]
4: the faculty that enables us to distinguish scents [syn: smell, sense of smell, olfaction, olfactory modality]
5: the act of perceiving the odor of something [syn: smell, smelling] v
1: inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense
2: emit an odor; "The soup smells good"
3: smell bad; "He rarely washes, and he smells"
4: have an element suggestive (of something); "his speeches smacked of racism"; "this passage smells of plagiarism" [syn: smack, reek, smell]
5: become aware of not through the senses but instinctively; "I sense his hostility"; "i smell trouble"; "smell out corruption" [syn: smell, smell out, sense]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (smelled or smelt; smelling) Etymology: Middle English Date: 12th century transitive verb 1. to perceive the odor or scent of through stimuli affecting the olfactory nerves ; get the odor or scent of with the nose 2. to detect or become aware of as if by the sense of smell <I smell trouble> 3. to emit the odor of intransitive verb 1. to exercise the sense of smell 2. a. (1) to have an odor or scent (2) to have a characteristic aura or atmosphere ; smack <the accounts…seemed to me to smell of truth — R. S. Bourne>; also seem, appear <the story didn't smell right> b. (1) to have an offensive odor ; stink (2) to be of bad or questionable quality <all this from the moral point of view smells — A. F. Wills> • smeller noun II. noun Date: 12th century 1. the property of a thing that affects the olfactory organs ; odor 2. a. the process, function, or power of smelling b. the sense concerned with the perception of odor 3. a. a very small amount ; trace <add only a smell of garlic> b. a pervading or characteristic quality ; aura <the smell of affluence, of power — Harry Hervey> 4. an act or instance of smelling Synonyms: smell, scent, odor, aroma mean the quality that makes a thing perceptible to the olfactory sense. smell implies solely the sensation without suggestion of quality or character <an odd smell permeated the room>. scent applies to the characteristic smell given off by a substance, an animal, or a plant <the scent of lilacs>. odor may imply a stronger or more readily distinguished scent or it may be equivalent to smell <a cheese with a strong odor>. aroma suggests a somewhat penetrating usually pleasant odor <the aroma of freshly ground coffee>.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 the faculty of perceiving odours or scents (has a fine sense of smell). 2 the quality in substances that is perceived by this (the smell of thyme; this rose has no smell). 3 an unpleasant odour. 4 the act of inhaling to ascertain smell. --v. (past and past part. smelt or smelled) 1 tr. perceive the smell of; examine by smell (thought I could smell gas). 2 intr. emit odour. 3 intr. seem by smell to be (this milk smells sour). 4 intr. (foll. by of) a be redolent of (smells of fish). b be suggestive of (smells of dishonesty). 5 intr. stink; be rank. 6 tr. perceive as if by smell; detect, discern, suspect (smell a bargain; smell blood). 7 intr. have or use a sense of smell. 8 intr. (foll. by about) sniff or search about. 9 intr. (foll. by at) inhale the smell of. Phrases and idioms: smelling-bottle a small bottle of smelling-salts. smelling-salts ammonium carbonate mixed with scent to be sniffed as a restorative in faintness etc. smell out 1 detect by smell; find out by investigation. 2 (of a dog etc.) hunt out by smell. smell a rat begin to suspect trickery etc. Derivatives: smellable adj. smeller n. smell-less adj. Etymology: ME smel(le), prob. f. OE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Smell Smell, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Smelled, Smelt; p. pr. & vb. n. Smelling.] [OE. smellen, smillen, smullen; cf. LG. smellen, smelen, sm["o]len, schmelen, to smoke, to reek, D. smeulen to smolder, and E. smolder. Cf. Smell, n.] 1. To perceive by the olfactory nerves, or organs of smell; to have a sensation of, excited through the nasal organs when affected by the appropriate materials or qualities; to obtain the scent of; as, to smell a rose; to smell perfumes. 2. To detect or perceive, as if by the sense of smell; to scent out; -- often with out. ``I smell a device.'' --Shak. Can you smell him out by that? --Shak. 3. To give heed to. [Obs.] From that time forward I began to smellthe Word of God, and forsook the school doctors. --Latimer. To smell a rat, to have a sense of something wrong, not clearly evident; to have reason for suspicion. [Colloq.] To smell out, to find out by sagacity. [Colloq.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Smell Smell, v. i. 1. To affect the olfactory nerves; to have an odor or scent; -- often followed by of; as, to smell of smoke, or of musk. 2. To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality; to savor; as, a report smells of calumny. Praises in an enemy are superfluous, or smell of craft. --Milton. 3. To exercise the sense of smell. --Ex. xxx. 38. 4. To exercise sagacity. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Smell Smell, n. [OE. smel, smil, smul, smeol. See Smell, v. t.] (Physiol.) 1. The sense or faculty by which certain qualities of bodies are perceived through the instrumentally of the olfactory nerves. See Sense. 2. The quality of any thing or substance, or emanation therefrom, which affects the olfactory organs; odor; scent; fragrance; perfume; as, the smell of mint. Breathing the smell of field and grove. --Milton. That which, above all others, yields the sweetest smell in the air, is the violent. --Bacon. Syn: Scent; odor; perfume; fragrance.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(smells, smelling, smelled, smelt) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. Note: American English usually uses the form 'smelled' as the past tense and past participle. British English uses either 'smelled' or 'smelt'. 1. The smell of something is a quality it has which you become aware of when you breathe in through your nose. ...the smell of freshly baked bread. ...horrible smells... N-COUNT: oft N of n 2. Your sense of smell is the ability that your nose has to detect things. ...people who lose their sense of smell. 3. If something smells in a particular way, it has a quality which you become aware of through your nose. The room smelled of lemons... It smells delicious. ...a crumbly black substance that smells like fresh soil. V-LINK: V of n, V adj, V like n 4. If you say that something smells, you mean that it smells unpleasant. Ma threw that out. She said it smelled... Do my feet smell? VERB: V, V 5. If you smell something, you become aware of it when you breathe in through your nose. As soon as we opened the front door we could smell the gas. VERB: V n 6. If you smell something, you put your nose near it and breathe in, so that you can discover its smell. I took a fresh rose out of the vase on our table, and smelled it. = sniff VERB: V n 7. to smell a rat: see rat

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

smel (Hebrew and Aramaic reach, as noun, "savor," "scent"; ruach, as verb, literally, "to breathe," "to inhale," thence "to smell"; osme, the "smell," "savor," euodia, "sweet smell" "fragrance" osphresis "the sense of smell"; verb osphrainomai): And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled (way-yarach) the smell (reach) of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell (reach) of my son is as the smell (reach) of a field which Yahweh hath blessed" (Ge 27:27). Idols are described as "gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell" (De 4:28). Acceptable sacrifices and pious conduct are called a "sweet smell" or "savor" (Ex 29:18; Eph 5:2; Php 4:18) well-pleasing to God. The godless life, which dishonors God, is hateful to Him: "I will not smell the savor of your sweet odors" (Le 26:31). The phrase, "being in bad odor with a person," can be traced to Biblical language: "Ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants" (Ex 5:21). Thus "smell" is occasionally equivalent with "quality," "character": "His (Moab's) taste remaineth in him, and his scent is not changed" (Jer 48:11). Character or quality is the most infallible test, the most manifest advertisement of a thing or a person; thus we find the following very instructive passage: "(God) maketh manifest through us the savor (osme) of his knowledge in every place. For we are a sweet savor (euodia) of Christ unto God, in (better: "among") them that are saved, and in (better: "among") them that perish; to the one a savor (osme) from death unto death; to the other a savor (osme) from life unto life" (2Co 2:14-16). See TRIUMPH. In the passage Isa 3:24, the King James Version "sweet smell" (besem, "balsam plant") has been changed to "sweet spices" in the Revised Version (British and American).

H. L. E. Luering

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. Scent, get scent of. II. v. n. Have an odor, have a scent. III. n. Scent, odor, perfume, fragrance, aroma.

Moby Thesaurus

apprehend, aroma, be aromatic, be aware of, be conscious of, be redolent of, be sensible of, be warm, bouquet, breath, breathe, breathe in, burn, cast, chromesthesia, color hearing, dash, definite odor, detect, detectable odor, effluvium, emanation, emit a smell, essence, exhalation, exhale, experience, feel, fetidness, fetor, five senses, flavor, follow, follow a clue, follow up, fragrance, fume, funk, get wind of, gleam, hear, hearing, hint, hum, hunt down, idea, incense, inhale, intimation, lick, look, mephitis, nose, nose out, odor, offend the nostrils, olfaction, olfactory sense, perceive, perfume, phonism, photism, receptor, redolence, reek, respond, respond to stimuli, run down, run to earth, savor, scent, scintilla, see, sense, sense of smell, sense organ, senses, sensillum, sensorium, sensory organ, shade, shadow, sight, sip, sixth sense, smack, smattering, smell bad, smell of, smell out, smell to heaven, smell up, smelling, snaffle, sniff, sniff out, snuff, snuffle, soupcon, spark, spice, spoor, sprinkling, stalk, stench, stink, stink out, stink up, strain, subtle odor, suggestion, sup, suspicion, synesthesia, tail, taste, thought, tincture, tinge, touch, trace, trace down, track, track down, trail, whiff, yield an odor