olfactory
adjective
ōl-
Did you know?
No, olfactory is not a noun meaning “a place that makes scents”; for that, you want perfumery, which makes more sense. Olfactory is instead an adjective used to describe things related to one’s sense of smell, that which lets you detect fruit with your snoot, a leek with your beak, Shiraz with your schnozz. Olfactory comes from the Latin word olfacere (“to smell”), which in turn combines two verbs, olēre (“to give off a smell”) and facere (“to do”). It often appears in scientific contexts (as in “olfactory nerves,” the nerves that pass from the nose to the brain and contain the receptors that make smelling possible), but it is occasionally used in less technical writing and speech. The pleasant smell of hot mulled cider, for example, might be considered an “olfactory delight,” depending on the spices and your own sensibilities, of course. As they say, the nose knows.
Examples of olfactory in a Sentence
Susana Monsó, TIME, 18 Oct. 2024
The limited edition collection introduces three delectable candles inspired by the gourmet delights served at Café Verlet, promising an immersive olfactory experience reminiscent of a Parisian café.
—Zahra Campbell-Avenell, refinery29.com, 1 Apr. 2024
At the molecular level, the insect and human olfactory systems seem very different; the genes for olfactory receptors are different.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 2 Oct. 2024
Their sense of smell is phenomenal, owing to large olfactory organs and nostrils.
—Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 22 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Olfactory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/olfactory. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
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olfactory
adjective
Medical Definition
olfactory
adjective
ōl-
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