odor

C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary

Also spelled odour

US /ˈoʊdər/ UK /ˈəʊdə/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a distinctive smell, especially an unpleasant one

A faint odor of smoke lingered in the apartment long after the candle went out.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a distinctive smell,... smell scent aroma stench stink whiff reek

Word family

Derived forms odorlessodorous odoriferous

Related forms odorantdeodorantredolent

Appears in

Phrases (2)

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Simplified etymology

Odour comes from Latin odor, “smell.” In medieval English it usually referred to a sweet smell or perfume, whereas modern use often suggests an unpleasant smell. The earlier favorable association also underlies expressions such as odour of sanctity and in good odour.

Etymology

From Latin odor ('smell, scent'), from an Indo-European root *od- ('to smell').

odor Latin *h₃ed- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# odor

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈoʊdər/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈəʊdə/

## Meanings
1. a distinctive smell, especially an unpleasant one

## Examples
- A faint odor of smoke lingered in the apartment long after the candle went out.

## Synonyms
- smell
- scent
- aroma
- stench
- stink
- whiff
- reek

## Derived Forms
- odorless
- odorous
- odoriferous

## Related Forms
- odorant
- deodorant
- redolent

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: odor
- Root: *h₃ed-

## Etymology
From Latin odor ('smell, scent'), from an Indo-European root *od- ('to smell').

## AI Etymology
Odor comes from Latin odor ('smell, scent'), from an Indo-European root *od- ('to smell'). The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As a noun, it denotes "a distinctive smell, especially an unpleasant one", keeping the historical idea close to its dictionary sense. Relevant historical forms include Latin odor and Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed-. Derivative forms include odorless, odorous, odoriferous; related words include odorant, deodorant, redolent.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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