smell
For the verb: "to smell"
| Simple Past: | smelled, smelt |
| Past Participle: | smelled, smelt |
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
smell/smel/
▶noun
- 1 the faculty of perceiving odours by means of the organs in the nose.
- 2 a quality in something that is perceived by this faculty; an odour.
■ an unpleasant odour.
- 3 an act of inhaling in order to ascertain an odour.
- 1 perceive or detect the odour of.
■ sniff at (something) in order to ascertain its odour.
■ (smell something out) detect or discover something by the faculty of smell.
■ detect or suspect by means of instinct or intuition.
- 2 emit an odour of a specified kind.
■ have a strong or unpleasant odour.
■ be suggestive of something.
– phrases
smell a rat informal suspect trickery.
smell a rat informal suspect trickery.
– derivatives
smellable adjective,
smeller noun,
-smelling adjective.
smellable adjective,
smeller noun,
-smelling adjective.
– origin ME: of unknown origin.
'smell' also found in these Oxford entries:
acrimony
- ambrosia
- amygdala
- anosmia
- aroma
- astringent
- bitter
- bloodhound
- body odour
- breath
- bromine
- bunt
- camphor
- caproic acid
- catmint
- chamomile
- chanterelle
- cheesy
- clean
- curry plant
- deodorant
- deodorize
- distinct
- dog
- durian
- effusion
- ethyl acetate
- evil
- exude
- faint
- fetor
- flair
- fool's parsley
- fragrance
- fragrant
- funk
- gamy
- garlic
- goat moth
- guff
- heaven
- heavy
- hemlock
- henbane
- hound's tongue
- hum
- hydrogen sulphide
- incense
- inodorous
- Jack-by-the-hedge

