scent

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A pleasant smell.

   The scent of flowers filled the room.

2. 2
   noun

   A smell left by an animal or person that can be followed.

   The dogs picked up the fox's scent and ran off.

3. 3
   noun

   A liquid made to give a pleasant smell; perfume.

   She dabbed a little scent on her wrist.

4. 4
   verb

   To smell or detect something by its smell.

   The hounds scented the fox in the woods.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Scent entered late Middle English through Old French from Latin sentire, “to feel or perceive.” It first referred to a hunting hound's power of smell, then to an odour detected by a hound, and by the 15th century to a pleasant smell. The c was added to the spelling in the 16th century, probably under the influence of words such as scene.

From Middle English sent (noun) and senten (verb), from Old French sentir (“to feel, perceive, smell, sense”), from Latin sentīre (“to feel, sense”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sent- (“to feel”), and thus related to Saterland Frisian Sin (“sense”), West Frisian sin (“sense”), Dutch zin (“sense, meaning”), Low German Sinn (“sense”), Luxembourgish Sënn (“sense, perception”), German Sinn (“sense”). The -c- appeared in the 17th century, possibly by influence of ascent, descent, etc., or by influence of science.

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External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary