What does "olfaction" mean?

The sense of smell; the detection of airborne molecules.

How do you pronounce "olfaction"?

Pronounced //oʊlˈfækʃən//.

Olfaction

Q: What is a synonym for "olfaction"?

Common synonyms include: smell, nose, odor detection, odor perception, olfactory modality, olfactory neuroscience.

/oʊlˈfækʃən/ noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
The sense of smell; the detection of airborne molecules.
"‘I think the single most extraordinary aspect of olfaction is that we all smell the world differently,’ Beauchamp told me."
2
the faculty that enables us to distinguish scents wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

smell nose odor detection odor perception olfactory modality olfactory neuroscience

Antonyms

All antonyms

anosmia gustation

Example

More examples

"The elephant's trunk has several functions, including breathing, olfaction, touching, grasping, and sound production. The animal's sense of smell is about four times more sensitive than that of a bloodhound."

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French olfaction /olefaction, from Latin olfactus, perfect passive participle of olfaciō (“to smell (transitive)”) + -tion.

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