Meaning

noun the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form

noun any property detected by the olfactory system

noun the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people

originEtymology tree Proto-Indo-European *smel-der. Proto-West Germanic *smalljan Old English *smiellan Middle English smellen English smell From Middle English smellen, smillen, smyllen, smullen, from Old English *smyllan, *smiellan (“to smell, emit fumes”), from Proto-West Germanic *smallijan (“to glow, burn, smoulder”), from Proto-Indo-European *smel- (“to burn, smoke, smoulder; tar, pitch”). The…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0