smell

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• COUNT in NET: 11 in 11 verses (in OT : 9 in 9 verses) (in NT : 2 in 2 verses)

CIDE DICTIONARY

smell, v. t. [OE. smellen, smillen, smullen; cf. LG. smellen, smelen, smölen, schmelen, to smoke, to reek, D. smeulen to smolder, and E. smolder. Cf. Smell, n.].

•  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.  [1913 Webster]
•  To detect or perceive, as if by the sense of smell; to scent out; -- often with out.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

  "Can you smell him out by that?"  [1913 Webster]
•  To give heed to.  [1913 Webster]

  "From that time forward I began to smellthe Word of God, and forsook the school doctors."  [1913 Webster]

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, v. i. 

•  To affect the olfactory nerves; to have an odor or scent; -- often followed by of; as, to smell of smoke, or of musk.  [1913 Webster]
•  To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality; to savor; as, a report smells of calumny.  [1913 Webster]

  "Praises in an enemy are superfluous, or smell of craft."  [1913 Webster]
•  To exercise the sense of smell.  Ex. xxx. 38.  [1913 Webster]
•  To exercise sagacity.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

smell, n. [OE. smel, smil, smul, smeol. See Smell, v. t.].

•  The sense or faculty by which certain qualities of bodies are perceived through the instrumentally of the olfactory nerves. See Sense.  [1913 Webster]
•  The quality of any thing or substance, or emanation therefrom, which affects the olfactory organs; odor; scent; fragrance; perfume; as, the smell of mint.  [1913 Webster]

  "Breathing the smell of field and grove."  [1913 Webster]

  "That which, above all others, yields the sweetest smell in the air, is the violent."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- Scent; odor; perfume; fragrance.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

smell, n. & v.
--n.
1 the faculty of perceiving odours or scents (has a fine sense of smell).
2 the quality in substances that is perceived by this (the smell of thyme; this rose has no smell).
3 an unpleasant odour.
4 the act of inhaling to ascertain smell.
--v. (past and past part. smelt or smelled)
1 tr. perceive the smell of; examine by smell (thought I could smell gas).
2 intr. emit odour.
3 intr. seem by smell to be (this milk smells sour).
4 intr. (foll. by of) a be redolent of (smells of fish). b be suggestive of (smells of dishonesty).
5 intr. stink; be rank.
6 tr. perceive as if by smell; detect, discern, suspect (smell a bargain; smell blood).
7 intr. have or use a sense of smell.
8 intr. (foll. by about) sniff or search about.
9 intr. (foll. by at) inhale the smell of.

Idiom

smelling-bottle a small bottle of smelling-salts. smelling-salts ammonium carbonate mixed with scent to be sniffed as a restorative in faintness etc. smell out
1 detect by smell; find out by investigation.
2 (of a dog etc.) hunt out by smell. smell a rat begin to suspect trickery etc.

Derivative

smellable adj. smeller n. smell-less adj.

Etymology

ME smel(le), prob. f. OE

THESAURUS

smell

apprehend, aroma, be aromatic, be aware of, be conscious of, be redolent of, be sensible of, be warm, bouquet, breath, breathe, breathe in, burn, cast, chromesthesia, color hearing, dash, definite odor, detect, detectable odor, effluvium, emanation, emit a smell, essence, exhalation, exhale, experience, feel, fetidness, fetor, five senses, flavor, follow, follow a clue, follow up, fragrance, fume, funk, get wind of, gleam, hear, hearing, hint, hum, hunt down, idea, incense, inhale, intimation, lick, look, mephitis, nose, nose out, odor, offend the nostrils, olfaction, olfactory sense, perceive, perfume, phonism, photism, receptor, redolence, reek, respond, respond to stimuli, run down, run to earth, savor, scent, scintilla, see, sense, sense of smell, sense organ, senses, sensillum, sensorium, sensory organ, shade, shadow, sight, sip, sixth sense, smack, smattering, smell bad, smell of, smell out, smell to heaven, smell up, smelling, snaffle, sniff, sniff out, snuff, snuffle, soupcon, spark, spice, spoor, sprinkling, stalk, stench, stink, stink out, stink up, strain, subtle odor, suggestion, sup, suspicion, synesthesia, tail, taste, thought, tincture, tinge, touch, trace, trace down, track, track down, trail, whiff, yield an odor

ROGET THESAURUS

smell

Odor

N odor, smell, odorament, scent, effluvium, emanation, exhalation, fume, essence, trail, nidor, redolence, sense of smell, scent, act of smelling, olfaction, olfactories, fragrance, odorant, bloodhound, hound, spoor, odorous, odoriferous, smelling, reeking, foul-smelling, strong- scented, redolent, graveolent, nidorous, pungent, putrid, foul, olfactory, quick-scented.

VB have an odor, smell, smell of, smell strong of, exhale, give out a smell, reek, reek of, scent, smell, scent, snuff, snuff up, sniff, nose, inhale, have an odor, smell, smell of, smell strong of, exhale, give out a smell, reek, reek of, scent, smell, scent, snuff, snuff up, sniff, nose, inhale.

Fetor

N fetor, bad, smell, bad odor, stench, stink, foul odor, malodor, empyreuma, mustiness, rancidity, foulness, stoat, polecat, skunk, assafoetida, fungus, garlic, stinkpot, fitchet, fitchew, fourmart, peccary, acridity, fetid, strong-smelling, high, bad, strong, fulsome, offensive, noisome, rank, rancid, reasty, tainted, musty, fusty, frouzy, olid, olidous, nidorous, smelling, stinking, putrid, suffocating, mephitic, empyreumatic.

VB have a bad smell, smell, stink, stink in the nostrils, stink like a polecat, smell strong, smell offensively.