Olfactor

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the sense of smell or the faculty of detecting odors
2. associated with the process by which the brain perceives scents through specialized sensory cells
3. describing the anatomical structures and pathways involved in receiving and interpreting smell stimuli

Etymology: The Latin verb "olfacere" meant "to smell" or "to scent," and it was built from two parts: "olere," to give off a smell, and "facere," to make or cause. So the verb literally meant something like "to make a smell perceptible." Its agent noun, "olfactor," meant one who smells, and the adjective here, relating to smell, comes from the same root. Most English speakers know the word through "olfactory," the adjective that became standard for the sense of smell and the nerves and organs involved in it. "Olfactor" follows the same Latin pattern but is much rarer in English, where it is mainly a learned or technical variant. The two words share a source, so the sense is the same, and the difference is mostly one of how common each form has become.

Synonyms: olfactory, smelling, scent, fragrance, aroma