olfactory

English

WOTD – 10 November 2008

Etymology

From Latin olfactus (“an act of smelling; the sense of smell”) +‎ -ory, from olfaciō (“to sniff, smell, scent”) +‎ -tus (action noun suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɒlˈfak.tə.ɹi/, /ɒlˈfak.tɹi/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɑlˈfæk.təɹ.i/, /oʊlˈfæk.təɹ.i/

  • Audio (US):

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• Audio (General Australian):

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• Rhymes: -æktəɹi

Adjective

olfactory (not comparable)

1. (relational) Concerning the sense of smell.

Derived terms

• nonolfactory
• olfactome
• olfactoric
• olfactorily
• olfactorize
• olfactory bulb
• olfactory capsule
• olfactory kiss
• olfactory lobe
• olfactory nerve
• olfactory organ
• olfactory reference syndrome
• subolfactory

Related terms

• olfacto-, olfact-
• olfactometer
• olfactible
• olfaction

Translations

concerning the sense of smell

Bulgarian: обонятелен (obonjatelen) Catalan: olfactiu, olfactori (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 嗅的 (xiùde) Czech: čichový (cs) m Dutch: olfactorisch (nl) Finnish: haju- (fi), olfaktorinen (fi) French: olfactif (fr) m German: geruchlich (de), olfaktorisch (de) Greek: οσφρητικός (el) m (osfritikós) Hungarian: szaglószervi, szagló- (hu) Indonesian: olfaktori, olfaktoris Italian: olfattorio, olfattivo (it) Malay: penghiduan, olfaksi, olfaktori Polish: węchowy (pl) Portuguese: olfactório, olfatório, olfativo Russian: обоня́тельный (ru) (obonjátelʹnyj) Spanish: olfativo (es), olfatorio (es) Swedish: luktsinnes-

Noun

olfactory (plural olfactories)

1. (anatomy, zootomy) Ellipsis of olfactory organ.
2. (chiefly in the plural) The sense of smell.

References

• “olfactory”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “olfactory”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.