Odorise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To introduce a characteristic scent or smell to a substance, often to make it detectable or mask other odors
2. To impart a specific fragrance or odor to a material so it can be identified or altered in smell
3. To infuse or treat a product with a certain odor for identification, masking, or safety purposes

Etymology: "Odorise" is a plain formation: the noun "odor" (American spelling of "odour", from Latin "odor") with the verb-forming suffix "-ise". That suffix has a long journey of its own. It descends from ancient Greek "-izein", which Latin later reshaped as "-izare" and then French rendered as "-iser", and English picked it up from there in the Middle Ages as "-isen". Its partner in the verb, "-ize", is the same suffix in its American-favored spelling. Because the suffix is so productive, English has used it to turn nouns into verbs for centuries, and "odorise" belongs to that everyday pattern rather than to a single coinage. Its meaning follows the sense of the base word directly: to give a substance an odor, so that it can be recognised by smell or have its smell changed. The most common modern use is in industry, where odorants are added to odourless gases such as natural gas so that leaks can be detected by the nose.

Synonyms: scent, fragrance, perfume

Antonyms: deodorize, neutralize