Phrase guide
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
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.
noun
A sweet smell, usually likened to that of flowers, said to be emitted by the bodies of saints during their life, or especially at or after death.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Middle-Ages, UK, especially, historical, uncountable, usually
Topics: Christianity
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A person's reputation for, or state of, holiness.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, figuratively, uncountable, usually
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A (supposed) general aura of goodness or virtue.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, figuratively, humorous, ironic, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
A calque of French odeur de sainteté (“sweet smell said to be emitted by bodies of saints at or after death”), from Late Latin odor sānctitātis (literally “odour of sanctity”) (compare odor suāvitātis (literally “sweet odour”)), from odor (“(sweet) smell, odour”) + sānctitātis (genitive singular of sānctitās (“sacredness, sanctity; holiness, virtue”)).
Across languages
8 source translations are retained for this English entry.
