Mephitis
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A poisonous or foul-smelling gas, especially as emitted from the earth; an unpleasant smell. countable, uncountable
"The Abbe had, in the district of Latera, observed that in a mephitis of hydrogenous sulphurated or hepatic gas, a slow combustion of phosphorus took place, with the same resplendence as in the atmospheric air."
- 2 a distinctive odor that is offensively unpleasant wordnet
- 3 A dilution of fluids derived from skunks or polecats. countable, uncountable
"Mephitis, in water, did not at first relieve the cough, so that I was compelled to prescribe another remedy; but after taking this for a short time, the father averred that he thought the first remedy, Mephitis, had a better effect than the last."
- 4 a poisonous or foul smelling gas emitted from the earth wordnet
- 1 Alternative form of Mefitis. alt-of, alternative
Example
More examples"The Abbe had, in the district of Latera, observed that in a mephitis of hydrogenous sulphurated or hepatic gas, a slow combustion of phosphorus took place, with the same resplendence as in the atmospheric air."
Etymology
From Latin mefītis, mephītis, from the name of a Samnite goddess who personified the poisonous gases emitted from swamps and volcanoes.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.