Standard Lemma guide

odor

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈəʊdə/
  • General-American: /ˈoʊdəɹ/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: oater (some dialects)
  • rhymes with -əʊdə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: OW1 D ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: scent, perfume, flair, smell, odor, odour

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A strong, pervasive quality.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, figuratively, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Esteem.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, figuratively, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: esteem, repute

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Something which produces a scent; incense, a perfume.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, archaic, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

any property detected by the olfactory system

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: olfactory property, smell, aroma, odour, scent

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: property

Narrower terms: bouquet, fragrance, fragrancy, redolence, sweetness, malodorousness, stinkiness, foulness, rankness, fetidness, muskiness, rancidness

6

noun

Meaning 6

the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she loved the smell of roses

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: smell, odour, olfactory sensation, olfactory perception

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sensation, esthesis, aesthesis, sense experience, sense impression, sense datum

Narrower terms: scent, aroma, fragrance, perfume, malodor, malodour, stench, stink, reek, fetor, foetor, mephitis, acridity

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

95 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: رَائِحَة (rāʔiḥa) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Arabic: رَوَائِح (rawāʔiḥ) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Arabic: رِيحَة (rīḥa) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Armenian: հոտ (hot) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Azerbaijani: qoxu — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Bangi: ncolo — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Bashkir: еҫ (yeś) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Basque: usain — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Belarusian: пах (pax) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Bengali: গন্ধ (gondho) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Bulgarian: миризма (mirizma) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Cherokee: ᎦᏩᏒᎩ (gawasvgi) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Chinese Cantonese: 氣味 /气味 (hei3 mei6) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Chinese: 氣味 /气味 (zh-min-nan) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Chinese Mandarin: 氣味 /气味 (qìwèi) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Czech: pach — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Danish: lugt — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Dutch: reuk — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Egyptian: s-T:Aa2 (sṯ) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Esperanto: odoro — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Finnish: tuoksu — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Finnish: haju — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • French: odeur — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Georgian: სუნი (suni) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Georgian: სურნელი (surneli) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • German: Geruch — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Gothic: 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌽𐍃 (dauns) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Greek: οσμή (osmí) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Greek: μυρωδιά (myrodiá) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Ancient Greek: ὀσμή (osmḗ) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Gujarati: વાસ (vās) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Hebrew: ריח (réakh) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Hindi: गंध (gandh) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Hungarian: szag — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Icelandic: lykt — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Ingrian: haju — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Ingrian: haiso — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Ingrian: haisu — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Irish: tuth — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Italian: odore — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Japanese: 匂い (nioi) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Kalmyk: заар (zaar) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Kazakh: иіс (iıs) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Korean: 냄새 (naemsae) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Latin: odor — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Lingala: nsolo — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Macedonian: ми́рис (míris) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Macedonian: ми́ризба (mírizba) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Malagasy: fofona — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Malay: bau — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Brunei Malay: bau — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Middle English: odour — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Middle English: flavour — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Mongolian: анхилга (anxilga) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Mongolian: үнэр (üner) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Neapolitan: addore — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Pashto: بوى (buy) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Persian: بو (bu) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Plautdietsch: Jeroch — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Polish: zapach — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Portuguese: odor — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Romanian: mireasmă — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Romanian: miros — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Russian: за́пах (zápax) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Sanskrit: गन्ध (gandha) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Scottish Gaelic: boladh — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Scottish Gaelic: fàileadh — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Serbo-Croatian: ми̏рӣс — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Serbo-Croatian: mȉrīs — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Slovak: vôňa — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Slovene: vonj — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Spanish: olor — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Swedish: lukt — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Swedish: odör — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Tày: ai — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Thai: กลิ่น (glìn) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Tocharian B: were — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Turkish: koku — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Turkish: rayiha — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Ottoman Turkish: اید (id) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Ukrainian: за́пах (zápax) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Uyghur: پۇراق (puraq) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Uyghur: بۇي (buy) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Uyghur: ھىد (hid) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Vietnamese: mùi — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Vietnamese: hơi — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Yiddish: גערוך (gerukh) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Yiddish: ריח (reyekh) — any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
  • Cherokee: ᎦᏩᏒᎩ (gawasvgi) — strong, pervasive quality
  • Finnish: ominaispiirre — strong, pervasive quality
  • Norwegian: odør — strong, pervasive quality
  • Norwegian: stank — strong, pervasive quality
  • Norwegian: lukt — strong, pervasive quality
  • Bulgarian: репутация (reputacija) — esteem, repute
  • Finnish: maine — esteem, repute