noun / verb

smell

SMEL/smel/

An odor detected through the nose.

The woman enjoys the rose's smell as she lifts it beneath her nose.

A woman lifts a freshly cut rose just beneath her nose, eyes gently closed as she inhales its scent.

Etymology

smellMiddle Englishto perceive or emit an odor

Smellen already meant both giving off an odor and perceiving one with the nose. The selected meaning continues the perceiving side of this early pairing; deeper ancestry is uncertain.

In context

Ms. amaliit0:13

what part of your body helps you to smell our nose help us to smell good and bad odors

Sense of Smell NOSE Pleasant and Unpleasant

More examples

Several strange smells drift from the basement.
I can smell garlic in the sauce.
She smells trouble when the numbers do not add up.

Forms

smell · smells · smelled · smelling

smelly adjective — Having a strong, usually unpleasant odor.

Similar words

odor: More formal than smell; often suggests something unpleasant.
scent: Often suggests a pleasant fragrance or a distinctive identifying smell.
aroma: Usually a pleasant smell, especially from food or drink.