“smells” is a form of
smell
/smɛl/ noun, verb
Forms smells smelling smelled smelt
- noun 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.”
- noun (physiology) The sense that detects odours.
- noun A conclusion or intuition that a situation is wrong, more complex than it seems, or otherwise inappropriate.
- verb (transitive) To sense a smell or smells. “I can smell fresh bread.”
- verb (by extension) To detect or perceive; often with out.
- verb (intransitive, copulative) Followed by like or of if descriptive: to have a particular smell, whether good or bad. “The roses smell lovely.”
- verb (by extension, intransitive, copulative) To smell of; to have a smell of
- verb (intransitive, without a modifier) To smell bad; to stink. “Ew, this restroom smells (loathsomely).”
- verb (intransitive, figurative) To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality; to savour. “A report smells of calumny.”
- verb (obsolete) To give heed to.
Synonyms
aroma niff olfaction sense of smell fragrance odor odour scent pong reek stench stink flair detect sense whiff olfactory sensation olfactory perception olfactory property spirit tone feel feeling flavor flavour look olfactory modality smelling smack smell out
Etymology
From Middle English smellen, smillen, smyllen, smullen, from Old English *smyllan, *smiellan (“to smell, emit fumes”), from Proto-West Germanic *smallijan (“to glow, burn, smoulder”), from Proto-Indo-European *smel- (“to burn, smoke, smoulder; tar, pitch”). The noun is from Middle English smel, smil, smul (“smell, odour”). Related to Saterland Frisian smeele (“to smoulder”), 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.
Webster’s 1913
- verb 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.
- verb To detect or perceive, as if by the sense of smell; to scent out; --often with out. "I smell a device." Shak.
- verb To affect the olfactory nerves; to have an odor or scent; --often followed by of; as, to smell of smoke, or of musk.
- verb To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality; to savor; as, a report smells of calumny.
Etymology [OE. smellen, smillen, smullen; cf. LG. smellen, smelen, smölen, schmelen, to smoke, to reek, D. smeulen to smolder, and E. smolder. Cf. Smell, n.]
Etymology [OE. smel, smil, smul, smeol. See Smell, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “smell”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details