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Webster 1913 Edition

Smell

Smell

(smĕl)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Smelled
,
Smelt
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Smelling
.]
[OE.
smellen
,
smillen
,
smullen
; cf. LG.
smellen
,
smelen
,
smölen
,
schmelen
, to smoke, to reek, D.
smeulen
to smolder, and E.
smolder
. Cf.
Smell
,
Noun.
]
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
.
2.
To detect or perceive, as if by the sense of smell; to scent out; – often with out.
“I smell a device.”
Shak.
Can you
smell
him out by that?
Shakespeare
3.
To give heed to.
[Obs.]
From that time forward I began to
smell
the Word of God, and forsook the school doctors.
Latimer.
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.]

Smell

,
Verb.
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
.
2.
To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality; to savor;
as, a report
smells
of calumny
.
Praises in an enemy are superfluous, or
smell
of craft.
Milton.
3.
To exercise the sense of smell.
Ex. xxx. 38.
4.
To exercise sagacity.
Shak.

Smell

,
Noun.
[OE.
smel
,
smil
,
smul
,
smeol
. See
Smell
,
Verb.
T.
]
(Physiol.)
1.
The sense or faculty by which certain qualities of bodies are perceived through the instrumentally of the olfactory nerves. See
Sense
.
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
.
Breathing the
smell
of field and grove.
Milton.
That which, above all others, yields the sweetest
smell
in the air, is the violent.
Bacon.
Syn. – Scent; odor; perfume; fragrance.

Webster 1828 Edition

Smell

SMELL

,
Verb.
T.
pret and pp. smelled, smelt. [I have not found this word in any other language.] TO perceive by the nose, or by the olfactory nerves; to have a sensation excited in certain organs of the nose by particular qualities of a body, which are transmitted in fine particles, often form a distance; as, to smell a rose; to smell perfumes.

Definition 2024

smell

smell

English

Noun

smell ‎(countable and uncountable, plural smells)

  1. A sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, detected by inhaling air (or, the case of water-breathing animals, water) carrying airborne molecules of a substance.
    I love the smell of fresh bread.
    • 1908, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
      The penetrating smell of cabbage reached the nose of Toad as he lay prostrate in his misery on the floor, and gave him the idea for a moment that perhaps life was not such a blank and desperate thing as he had imagined. But still he wailed, and kicked with his legs, and refused to be comforted. So the wise girl retired for the time, but, of course, a good deal of the smell of hot cabbage remained behind, as it will do, and Toad, between his sobs, sniffed and reflected, and gradually began to think new and inspiring thoughts: of chivalry, and poetry...
  2. (physiology) The sense that detects odours.

Usage notes

Synonyms

Translations

Verb

smell ‎(third-person singular simple present smells, present participle smelling, simple past and past participle smelled or smelt)

  1. (transitive) To sense a smell or smells.
    I can smell fresh bread.‎
    Smell the milk and tell me whether it's gone off.‎
  2. (intransitive) To have a particular smell, whether good or bad; if descriptive, followed by "like" or "of".
    The roses smell lovely.‎
    Her feet smell of cheese.‎
    The drunkard smelt like a brewery.‎
    • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 8, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
      Philander went into the next room […] and came back with a salt mackerel […] . Next he put the mackerel in a fry-pan, and the shanty began to smell like a Banks boat just in from a v'yage.
  3. (intransitive, without a modifier) To smell bad; to stink.
    Ew, this stuff smells.‎
  4. (intransitive, figuratively) To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality; to savour.
    A report smells of calumny.‎
    • John Milton
      Praises in an enemy are superfluous, or smell of craft.
  5. (obsolete) To exercise sagacity.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
  6. To detect or perceive; often with out.
    • Shakespeare
      I smell a device.
  7. (obsolete) To give heed to.
    • Latimer
      From that time forward I began to smell the Word of God, and forsook the school doctors.

Usage notes

  • The sense "to smell bad, stink" is considered by some to be an incorrect substitute for stink.

Synonyms

  • (sense a smell or smells): detect, sense
  • (have the smell of): (all followed by like or of)

Translations

Derived terms

See also

References

  • smell in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
  • smell in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

Icelandic

Verb

smell (strong)

  1. first-person singular present indicative of smella
  2. second-person singular imperative of smella

Verb

smell (weak)

  1. second-person singular imperative of smella

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From the verb smelle

Noun

smell n ‎(definite singular smellet, indefinite plural smell, definite plural smella or smellene)
smell m ‎(definite singular smellen, indefinite plural smell or smeller, definite plural smellene)

  1. a bang (sudden loud noise)

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From the verb smelle

Noun

smell n ‎(definite singular smellet, indefinite plural smell, definite plural smella)
smell m ‎(definite singular smellen, indefinite plural smellar, definite plural smellane)

  1. a bang (sudden loud noise)

References

Etymology

From Middle English smellen, smillen, smyllen, smullen, from Old English *smyllan, *smiellan ‎(“to smell, emit fumes”), from Proto-Germanic *smuljaną, *smaljaną ‎(“to glow, burn, smoulder”), from Proto-Indo-European *smelə- ‎(“to burn, smoke, smoulder; tar, pitch”). The noun is from Middle English smel, smil, smul ‎(“smell, odour”). Related to Middle Dutch smōlen ‎(“to burn, smoulder”) (whence Dutch smeulen ‎(“to smoulder”)), Middle Low German smölen ‎(“to be hazy, be dusty”) (whence Low German smölen ‎(“smoulder”)), Low German smullen ‎(“emit smoke”), West Flemish smoel ‎(“stuffy, muggy, hazy”), Danish smul ‎(“dust, powder”), Lithuanian smilkyti ‎(“to incense, fumigate”), Lithuanian smilkti ‎(“to smudge, smolder, fume, reek”), Lithuanian smalkinti ‎(“to fume”), Middle Irish smál, smól, smúal ‎(“fire, gleed, embers, ashes”), Russian смола́ ‎(smolá, “resin, tar”). Compare smoulder, smother.

Pronunciation

  • enPR: smĕl, IPA(key): /smɛl/
  • Rhymes: -ɛl

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