French word

odeur

Pronunciation

IPA/odœʁ/

Meaning

  • feminine nounsmell

Example

Il y a une odeur dans la cuisine.

There is a smell in the kitchen.

Illustration for odeur (smell)

More examples

On sent une mauvaise odeur près de la poubelle.

You can smell a bad odor near the garbage can.

Core concept

A trace carried through the air reaches the nose as either a welcome scent or an unwelcome smell.

Common phrases

  • mauvaise odeur

    bad odor

  • bonne odeur

    pleasant odor

  • odeur de fumée

    odor of smoke

Similar words

parfum: A pleasant scent like perfume or flowers.
arôme: A food or drink's aroma and flavor.
puanteur: A very strong and unpleasant smell.
senteur: A gentle, subtle pleasant scent.

Definition in French

Sensation perçue par l'odorat, provoquée par des molécules volatiles dans l'air et désignant ce qui sent bon ou mauvais.

Word origin

Odeur is an inherited French word from Latin odor, odoris, with its general sense preserved through Old French.

Usage tips

  • French commonly specifies the evaluation or strength with phrases such as une bonne odeur, une mauvaise odeur, or une forte odeur.

Other meanings

  • scentnoun
  • stenchnoun

Related words

  • odorantodorousadjective
  • odoratsense of smellnoun
  • désodoriserdeodorizeverb

Word lists with this word