scent

English

Etymology

From c.1400 Old French sentir "to feel, perceive, smell," from Latin sentire "to feel, perceive, sense"; originally a hunting term. The -c- appeared 17c., possibly by influence of ascent, descent, etc., or by influence of science.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛnt
• enPR: sĕnt, IPA: /sɛnt/, X-SAMPA: /sEnt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophones: cent, sent

Noun

scent (plural scents)

1. A distinctive odour or smell.

   the scent of flowers

   the scent of a skunk

2. An odour left by an animal that may be used for tracing.

   The dogs lost the scent.

3. The sense of smell.

   I believe the bloodhound has the best scent of all dogs.

4. A perfume.
5. (figuratively) Any trail or trace that can be followed to find something or someone.

Usage notes

• Almost always applied to agreeable odors (fragrances).

Synonyms

• fragrance
• perfume
• aroma
• odor
• smell

Derived terms

• scentless

Translations

distinctive odour or smell

• Arabic: رائحة (ar) (rāʾiḥa) f, (plural) روائح (ar) (rawāʾiḥ) f pl
• Belarusian: запах (be) (zápax) m, пах (be) (pax) m
• Bengali: গন্ধ (bn) (gôndhô)
• Bulgarian: мирис (bg) (miris) m, миризма (bg) (mirizma) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 氣味 (cmn), 气味 (cmn) (qìwèi)

• Czech: vůně (cs) f
• Dutch: geur (nl) m, reuk (nl) f
• Finnish: tuoksu (fi) (generally plesurable), haju (fi) (generally unpleasant)
• French: odeur (fr) m
• German: Geruch (de) m, Duft (de) m
• Greek: οσμή (el) (osmí) f
• Hebrew: ריח (he) (réakh) m
• Hindi: गंध (hi) (gandh) f
• Hungarian: illat (hu) (pleasant)
• Japanese: (good smell) 香り (ja) (かおり, kaori), 匂い (ja) (におい, nioi); (unpleasant smell) 臭い (ja) (におい, nioi); (good smell)

• Khmer: ក្លិន (km) (klən)
• Korean: 냄새 (ko) (naemsae)
• Persian: عطر (fa) (atr)
• Polish: zapach (pl) m, woń (pl) f
• Russian: запах (ru) (zápax) m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мирис (sh) m

  Roman: miris (sh) m

• Slovak: vôňa (sk) f
• Slovene: vonj (sl) f
• Spanish: olor (es) m
• Tatar: ис (tt) (is)
• Thai: กลิ่น (th) (glìn)
• Tok Pisin: smel (tpi)
• Ukrainian: запах (uk) (zápax) m
• Vietnamese: mùi (vi)

odour left by animal

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 氣味 (cmn), 气味 (cmn) (qìwèi)

• Dutch: geur (nl) m
• Finnish: haju (fi), hajujälki (fi) (the odour in itself, whether sensed or not); vainu (fi) (the odour as sensed by a follower, usually dog)

• Hungarian: szag (hu)
• Japanese: 臭い (ja) (におい, nioi)
• Polish: zapach (pl) m
• Russian: след (ru) (sled) m

sense of smell

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 嗅覺 (cmn), 嗅觉 (cmn) (xiùjué)

• Dutch: reukvermogen (nl) n
• Finnish: hajuaisti (fi); vainu (fi)

• Hungarian: szaglás (hu)
• Japanese: 嗅覚 (ja) (きゅうかく, kyūkaku)
• Russian: нюх (ru) (njux) m, чутьё (ru) (čut'jó) n, обоняние (ru) (obonjánije) n

perfume

• Arabic: أريج (ar) (’arīj)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 香味 (cmn) (xiāngwèi), 香水 (cmn) (xiāngshuǐ)

• Dutch: parfum (nl) n, geur (nl) m
• Finnish: tuoksu (fi), hajuvesi (fi)

• Hungarian: illatszer (hu), parfüm (hu)
• Japanese: 香り (ja) (かおり, kaori)
• Polish: zapach (pl) m, perfumy (pl) pl
• Russian: духи (ru) (duχí) m pl
• Spanish: fragancia (es) f

figuratively: any traces that can be followed

• Dutch: spoor (nl) n
• Finnish: jälki (fi), jäljet (fi) pl; vihi (fi), haju (fi)
• Japanese: 手がかり (ja) (てがかり, tegakari)

• Polish: trop (pl) m, ślad (pl) m
• Russian: след (ru) (sled) m
• Swedish: spår (sv) n

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: الشم (aš-šám) m
• French: odeur (fr) m
• German: Geruch m (1-3), Duft m (1), Duftstoff m (2), Parfüm n (3), Fährte f (4)
• Italian: odore m (1-2), profumo m (3)

• Korean: 냄새 (naemsae)
• Pashto: بوى (ps) (buy) m
• Portuguese: cheiro m (1-2), perfume m (3)
• Spanish: olor (es) m
• Swedish: lukt (sv) c (1-3), vittring (sv) c (1), stank (sv) c (strong, awful odour), doft (sv) c (1,3), doftspår (sv) n (4)

Verb

scent (third-person singular simple present scents, present participle scenting, simple past and past participle scented)

1. to detect the scent of

   The hounds scented the fox in the woods.

   • Shakespeare

     Methinks I scent the morning air.

2. to impart an odour to

   Scent the air with burning sage before you begin your meditation.

   • Dryden

     Balm from a silver box distilled around, / Shall all bedew the roots, and scent the sacred ground.

3. To have a smell.
   • Holland

     Thunderbolts […] do scent strongly of brimstone.

4. To hunt animals by means of the sense of smell.

Translations

to detect the scent of

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 嗅 (cmn) (xiù), 嗅覺 (cmn), 嗅觉 (cmn) (xiùjué), 嗅到 (cmn) (xiùdào), 聞到 (cmn), 闻到 (cmn) (wéndào)

• Dutch: ruiken (nl)
• Finnish: vainuta (fi)
• German: wittern (de)

• Hungarian: szaglászik (hu), kiszimatol (hu)
• Japanese: 嗅ぎ付ける (ja) (かぎつける, kagitsukeru)
• Polish: zwietrzyć (pl), zwęszyć (pl)
• Russian: обонять (ru) (obonját') impf.; чуять (ru) (čújat') impf., почуять (ru) (počújat') pf.
• Swedish: lukta (sv), vittra (sv)

to impart an odour to

• Finnish: hajustaa (fi)
• German: parfümieren (de)
• Japanese: におわせる (ja) (niowaseru)

• Polish: wypełniać wonią
• Russian: пахнуть (ru) (páxnut')

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: sentir

Anagrams

• cents