smell

smell
    n 1: the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the
         nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous
         form; "she loved the smell of roses" [syn: {smell}, {odor},
         {odour}, {olfactory sensation}, {olfactory perception}]
    2: any property detected by the olfactory system [syn:
       {olfactory property}, {smell}, {aroma}, {odor}, {odour},
       {scent}]
    3: the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect
       that it has on people; "the feel of the city excited him"; "a
       clergyman improved the tone of the meeting"; "it had the
       smell of treason" [syn: {spirit}, {tone}, {feel}, {feeling},
       {flavor}, {flavour}, {look}, {smell}]
    4: the faculty that enables us to distinguish scents [syn:
       {smell}, {sense of smell}, {olfaction}, {olfactory modality}]
    5: the act of perceiving the odor of something [syn: {smell},
       {smelling}]
    v 1: inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense
    2: emit an odor; "The soup smells good"
    3: smell bad; "He rarely washes, and he smells"
    4: have an element suggestive (of something); "his speeches
       smacked of racism"; "this passage smells of plagiarism" [syn:
       {smack}, {reek}, {smell}]
    5: become aware of not through the senses but instinctively; "I
       sense his hostility"; "i smell trouble"; "smell out
       corruption" [syn: {smell}, {smell out}, {sense}]
    

Smell \Smell\, n. [OE. smel, smil, smul, smeol. See {Smell}, v.
   t.] (Physiol.)
   1. The sense or faculty by which certain qualities of bodies
      are perceived through the instrumentally of the olfactory
      nerves. See {Sense}.
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   2. The quality of any thing or substance, or emanation
      therefrom, which affects the olfactory organs; odor;
      scent; fragrance; perfume; as, the smell of mint.
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            Breathing the smell of field and grove. --Milton.
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            That which, above all others, yields the sweetest
            smell in the air, is the violent.     --Bacon.
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   Syn: Scent; odor; perfume; fragrance.
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Smell \Smell\ (sm[e^]l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Smelled}, {Smelt};
   p. pr. & vb. n. {Smelling}.] [OE. smellen, smillen, smullen;
   cf. LG. smellen, smelen, sm["o]len, schmelen, to smoke, to
   reek, D. smeulen to smolder, and E. smolder. Cf. {Smell}, n.]
   1. To perceive by the olfactory nerves, or organs of smell;
      to have a sensation of, excited through the nasal organs
      when affected by the appropriate materials or qualities;
      to obtain the scent of; as, to smell a rose; to smell
      perfumes.
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   2. To detect or perceive, as if by the sense of smell; to
      scent out; -- often with out. "I smell a device." --Shak.
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            Can you smell him out by that?        --Shak.
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   3. To give heed to. [Obs.]
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            From that time forward I began to smellthe Word of
            God, and forsook the school doctors.  --Latimer.
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   {To smell a rat}, to have a sense of something wrong, not
      clearly evident; to have reason for suspicion. [Colloq.]
      

   {To smell out}, to find out by sagacity. [Colloq.]
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Smell \Smell\, v. i.
   1. To affect the olfactory nerves; to have an odor or scent;
      -- often followed by of; as, to smell of smoke, or of
      musk.
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   2. To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality; to
      savor; as, a report smells of calumny.
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            Praises in an enemy are superfluous, or smell of
            craft.                                --Milton.
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   3. To exercise the sense of smell. --Ex. xxx. 38.
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   4. To exercise sagacity. --Shak.
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127 Moby Thesaurus words for "smell":
      apprehend, aroma, be aromatic, be aware of, be conscious of,
      be redolent of, be sensible of, be warm, bouquet, breath, breathe,
      breathe in, burn, cast, chromesthesia, color hearing, dash,
      definite odor, detect, detectable odor, effluvium, emanation,
      emit a smell, essence, exhalation, exhale, experience, feel,
      fetidness, fetor, five senses, flavor, follow, follow a clue,
      follow up, fragrance, fume, funk, get wind of, gleam, hear,
      hearing, hint, hum, hunt down, idea, incense, inhale, intimation,
      lick, look, mephitis, nose, nose out, odor, offend the nostrils,
      olfaction, olfactory sense, perceive, perfume, phonism, photism,
      receptor, redolence, reek, respond, respond to stimuli, run down,
      run to earth, savor, scent, scintilla, see, sense, sense of smell,
      sense organ, senses, sensillum, sensorium, sensory organ, shade,
      shadow, sight, sip, sixth sense, smack, smattering, smell bad,
      smell of, smell out, smell to heaven, smell up, smelling, snaffle,
      sniff, sniff out, snuff, snuffle, soupcon, spark, spice, spoor,
      sprinkling, stalk, stench, stink, stink out, stink up, strain,
      subtle odor, suggestion, sup, suspicion, synesthesia, tail, taste,
      thought, tincture, tinge, touch, trace, trace down, track,
      track down, trail, whiff, yield an odor