Odorized

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Treated to have a distinct smell added, often to make an otherwise odorless substance detectable
2. Modified by adding a scent or odor to help identify or notice the substance
3. Infused with a particular smell to enable easy detection or recognition

Etymology: "Odorized" is the past tense and past participle of "odorize," a verb built from the noun "odor" and the suffix "-ize," which turns a noun into a verb meaning to make or treat something in a particular way. The suffix has a long lineage: it passed from ancient Greek through Late Latin and Middle French into Middle English, where it took the form "-isen," before settling into its modern spelling in English. Adding "-ize" to a noun is one of the most productive ways English creates verbs, which is why the same pattern appears in words like "organize" and "industrialize." The noun "odor" itself traces back through Latin "odor," meaning smell or scent, to an ancient root connected with the sense of smelling. In "odorize," that older sense of smell is turned to a practical purpose: the verb means to give a substance a scent so that its presence can be detected. Natural gas is the classic example, since it is normally odorless and an added smell warns people of leaks.

Synonyms: scented, fragrant, perfumed, aromatic, smelly

Antonyms: unscented, odorless