Smelled

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈsmɛld/

Definitions

1. Detected a scent or odor through the nose
2. Recognized the presence of a smell by using the sense of smell
3. Experienced or identified a particular fragrance or aroma

Etymology: The past tense "smelled" is an inflected form of "smell", and the verb itself began as a word about burning. Its ancestor, reconstructed in Proto-Indo-European, meant "to burn, smoke, smoulder" and also referred to tar and pitch. Old English "smiellan" meant to emit fumes, so the earliest sense was closer to a smoky reek than to a pleasant or neutral scent. The idea of smelling as a sensory act came later. The noun "smell" appears in Middle English with the sense of odour, and the verb followed that path from smoke toward any perceivable scent. The word's relatives still carry the old meaning of smouldering: Dutch "smeulen" and Low German "smölen" both mean to smoulder, and English "smoulder" and "smother" are close kin.

Synonyms: sensed, detected, perceived, sniffed, whiffed

Antonyms: ignored, overlooked, disregarded, missed, neglected