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Smell

//smɛl// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun

1
A sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, detected by inhaling air (or, the case of water-breathing animals, water) carrying airborne molecules of a substance. countable, uncountable
"I love the smell of fresh bread."
2
the act of perceiving the odor of something wordnet
3
The sense that detects odours. countable, uncountable
4
any property detected by the olfactory system wordnet
5
A conclusion or intuition that a situation is wrong, more complex than it seems, or otherwise inappropriate. countable, uncountable
"I’m just saying, this has a bad smell to it."

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6
the faculty that enables us to distinguish scents wordnet
7
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form wordnet
8
the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people wordnet

Verb

1
To sense a smell or smells. transitive
"I can smell fresh bread."
2
become aware of not through the senses but instinctively wordnet
3
To sense a smell or smells.; To detect or perceive; often with out. broadly, transitive
"I smell a device."
4
emit an odor wordnet
5
Followed by like or of if descriptive: to have a particular smell, whether good or bad. copulative, intransitive
"The roses smell lovely."

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6
smell bad wordnet
7
Followed by like or of if descriptive: to have a particular smell, whether good or bad.; To smell of; to have a smell of broadly, copulative, intransitive
"I do smell all horse-piss"
8
inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense wordnet
9
Followed by like or of if descriptive: to have a particular smell, whether good or bad.; To smell bad; to stink. copulative, intransitive
"Ew, this restroom smells (loathsomely)."
10
have an element suggestive (of something) wordnet
11
Followed by like or of if descriptive: to have a particular smell, whether good or bad.; To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality; to savour. copulative, figuratively, intransitive
"A report smells of calumny."
12
To give heed to. obsolete
"So from that tyme forwarde I began to ſmell the word of god, and forſoke the ſchole doctors and ſuch foolries."

Etymology

Etymology 1

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *smel- 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 noun is from Middle English smel, smil, smul (“smell, odour”). Related to Saterland Frisian smeele (“to smoulder”), Middle Dutch smōlen (“to burn, smoulder”) (whence Dutch smeulen (“to smoulder”)), Middle Low German smölen (“to be hazy, be dusty”) (whence Low German smölen (“smoulder”)), Low German smullen (“emit smoke”), West Flemish smoel (“stuffy, muggy, hazy”), Danish smul (“dust, powder”), Lithuanian smilkyti (“to incense, fumigate”), Lithuanian smilkti (“to smudge, smolder, fume, reek”), Lithuanian smalkinti (“to fume”), Middle Irish smál, smól, smúal (“fire, gleed, embers, ashes”), Russian смола́ (smolá, “resin, tar”). Compare smoulder, smother.

Etymology 2

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