Odorimeter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An instrument designed to assess the strength or concentration of odors in the air
2. A device used for detecting and quantifying the intensity of smells
3. Equipment that evaluates how strong an odor is by measuring its concentration

Etymology: "Odorimeter" is a coinage built from two parts that are both older than the device itself. The first, "odor," comes from Latin "odor," meaning smell or scent. The second, "-meter," comes from Greek "metron," meaning measure, and it appears in English words for instruments that measure something, such as thermometer or barometer. Put together, the word names a tool for measuring smell. An alternative spelling, "odorometer," is also in use, pairing the same Latin root with the same suffix. The two forms differ only in whether the middle vowel of "odor" is kept, so readers who meet either one are looking at the same instrument.