Dictionary

odor en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈoʊ.dɚ/ (General-American)
• /ˈəʊ.də/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (General-American) audio

Etymology

From Middle English odour, borrowed from Anglo-Norman odour, from Old French odor, from Latin odor. Cognates * Swedish odör (“bad smell”)

Meanings

1. (US, countable, uncountable) Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive.
   • BioLab officials told the investigators they had established a permanent fire watch two or three months prior to the incident after strong odors from oxidizers in two storage buildings were detected, according to the CSB report. BioLab also told CSB two employees were on duty for fire watch on September 29. 2024 November 24, Chris Boyette, “Investigators release update on BioLab chemical plant fire probe”, in CNN, archived from the original on 30 Aug 2025:
   • Now, I still think that for this box of matches to have escaped the wear of time for immemorial years was a strange, and for me, a most fortunate thing. Yet oddly enough I found here a far more unlikely substance, and that was camphor. I found it in a sealed jar, that, by chance, I supposed had been really hermetically sealed. I fancied at first the stuff was paraffin wax, and smashed the jar accordingly. But the odour of camphor was unmistakable. 1895 May 29, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, chapter X, in The Time Machine: An Invention, London: William Heinemann, →OCLC:
   • Both chemicals are solid oxidizers in granular form and have a chlorine odor. […] Plant 12 also stored super sacks of bromochloro-5,5-dimethylimidazolidine-2,4-dione (BCDMH), which is a granular solid oxidizer with a halogen odor that, in addition to chlorine gas and hydrogen chloride, can also release bromine gas and hydrogen bromide upon decomposition. 2024 November 14, “Chemical Decomposition, Fire, and Toxic Gas Release at Bio-Lab, Inc.”, in U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board^(https://web.archive.org/web/20250301020605/https://www.csb.gov/assets/1/6/investigation_update_bio-lab_final_nov2024_(005).pdf), archived from the original on 01 Mar 2025, page 2:
2. (US, countable, figuratively, uncountable) A strong, pervasive quality.
   • In different parts of the coast different species of animals are accounted sacred, because they are supposed to be animated by the spirits of the dead. Hence monkeys near Fishtown, snakes at Whydah, and crocodiles near Dix Cove live in the odour of sanctity." 1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 8, page 287:
3. (US, figuratively, uncountable) Esteem.
4. (US, archaic, countable, uncountable) Something which produces a scent; incense, a perfume.
   • On the morowe after the ſaboth / erly in the mornynge / they cam vnto the toumbe and brought the odourſ whych they had prepared / and other wemen wyth them. 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, The Gospell off S. Luke xxiiij:[1], folio cxvii, recto:

Forms

Deriveds

odorize · odored · odorless · odorization · odortaxis · malodor · odorsome · odortype · odorome · odorproof · odorful · odour of sanctity · odor of sanctity · in good odour · odorscape · in good odor · body odor · in bad odor · odorise · odor prism · odorously · in bad odour · odorous · odorousness · fish odor syndrome · odorimetry · body odour

Relateds

aroma

Synonyms

flair · odor · repute · odour · scent · esteem · smell · perfume

Translations (95)

he ריח (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · sk vôňa (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · izh haju (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · xal заар (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · egy s-T:Aa2 (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ka სურნელი (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · txb were (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · cmn 氣味 /气味 (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · mk ми́рис (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · izh haisu (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ka სუნი (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · bg репутация (esteem, repute) · is lykt (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ar رِيحَة (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ug ھىد (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ga tuth (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · vi hơi (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · el μυρωδιά (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · gd fàileadh (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · fa بو (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · chr ᎦᏩᏒᎩ (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · tyz ai (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · got 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌽𐍃 (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · la odor (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · sh ми̏рӣс (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ms bau (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ar رَائِحَة (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · de Geruch (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · sa गन्ध (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · sh mȉrīs (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · sl vonj (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ro mireasmă (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · bg миризма (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · pt odor (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · yue 氣味 /气味 (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · yi ריח (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · es olor (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · grc ὀσμή (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · eo odoro (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · fi maine (esteem, repute) · uk за́пах (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · no stank (strong, pervasive quality) · bn গন্ধ (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · fi tuoksu (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · chr ᎦᏩᏒᎩ (strong, pervasive quality) · nan-hbl 氣味 /气味 (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · kk иіс (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ota اید (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ug پۇراق (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ug بۇي (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · gu વાસ (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · mn анхилга (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · hi गंध (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · yi גערוך (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · enm flavour (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · izh haiso (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · pl zapach (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ro miros (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ba еҫ (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · be пах (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · tr rayiha (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ko 냄새 (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · az qoxu (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ru за́пах (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · hy հոտ (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · pdt Jeroch (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · fi haju (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ps بوى (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · kxd bau (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · mk ми́ризба (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · fi ominaispiirre (strong, pervasive quality) · mn үнэр (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · sv lukt (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · hu szag (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · fr odeur (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · it odore (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · eu usain (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · nl reuk (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · th กลิ่น (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · bni ncolo (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · gd boladh (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · mg fofona (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ar رَوَائِح (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · sv odör (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · enm odour (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · cs pach (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · no lukt (strong, pervasive quality) · el οσμή (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · nap addore (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · no odør (strong, pervasive quality) · vi mùi (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · da lugt (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ja 匂い (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · tr koku (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume) · ln nsolo (any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume)