Smell vs Olfactive - What's the difference?

As a noun smell

is a sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, detected by inhaling air (or, the case of water-breathing animals, water) carrying airborne molecules of a substance.

As a verb smell

is to sense a smell or smells.

As an adjective olfactive is

of or pertaining to the sense of smell; olfactory.

smell

English

Noun

A sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, detected by inhaling air (or, the case of water-breathing animals, water) carrying airborne molecules of a substance.

I love the smell of fresh bread.

* 1908 , (Kenneth Grahame), (The Wind in the Willows)

The penetrating smell' of cabbage reached the nose of Toad as he lay prostrate in his misery on the floor, and gave him the idea for a moment that perhaps life was not such a blank and desperate thing as he had imagined. But still he wailed, and kicked with his legs, and refused to be comforted. So the wise girl retired for the time, but, of course, a good deal of the ' smell of hot cabbage remained behind, as it will do, and Toad, between his sobs, sniffed and reflected, and gradually began to think new and inspiring thoughts: of chivalry, and poetry...

(physiology) The sense that detects odours.

Usage notes

* Adjectives often applied to "smell": sweet, good, nice, great, pleasant, fresh, fragrant, bad, foul, unpleasant, horrible, terrible, awful, nasty, disgusting, funny, strange, odd, sour, funky, metallic, stinky, rotten, rancid, putrid, rank, fishy.

Synonyms

* (sensation) ** (pleasant) aroma, fragrance, odor/odour, scent ** (unpleasant) odor/odour, niff (informal), pong (informal), reek, stench, stink, whiff (informal) * (sense) olfaction (in technical use), sense of smell * See also

Verb

To sense a smell or smells.

To have a particular smell, whether good or bad; if descriptive, followed by "like" or "of".

* , chapter=8

, title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=Philander went into the next room

(without a modifier) To smell bad; to stink.

(figurative) To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality; to savour.

* (John Milton)

Praises in an enemy are superfluous, or smell of craft.

(obsolete) To exercise sagacity.

(Shakespeare)

To detect or perceive; often with out .

* Shakespeare

I smell a device.

(obsolete) To give heed to.

* Latimer

From that time forward I began to smell the Word of God, and forsook the school doctors.

Usage notes

The sense "to smell bad, stink" is considered by some to be an incorrect substitute for stink.

Synonyms

* (sense a smell or smells) detect, sense * (have the smell of) (all followed by'' like''' ''or'' ' of ) ** (pleasant) ** (unpleasant) pong (informal), reek, stink, whiff (informal)

Derived terms

* code smells * sense of smell (see olfaction) * smell a rat * smell blood * smell like a rose * smell of an oily rag * smell test * smell the barn * smelly * wake up and smell the coffee

References

* *

Anagrams

* English irregular verbs 1000 English basic words

olfactive

English

Adjective

(en adjective)

Of or pertaining to the sense of smell; olfactory

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