French word

odorat

Pronunciation

IPA/odoʁa/

Meaning

  • masculine nounsense of smell

Example

Après son rhume, il a retrouvé l'odorat.

After his cold, he regained his sense of smell.

Illustration for odorat (sense of smell)

More examples

Son odorat lui permet de reconnaître les épices.

His sense of smell allows him to recognize spices.

Core concept

An internal nose sense that registers a smell and assesses its kind or strength.

Common phrases

  • perdre l'odorat

    lose one's sense of smell

  • retrouver l'odorat

    regain one's sense of smell

Similar words

odeur: A particular smell rising from an object or place.
parfum: A pleasant scent or a product used to scent the body or a space.

Definition in French

Sens olfactif permettant de détecter, reconnaître et évaluer les odeurs.

Word origin

French odorat is inherited from Latin odoratus, which is related to odor, meaning 'smell', and came to name the olfactory sense.

Usage tips

  • French uses odorat for the sensory ability, while odeur names an individual smell or scent.

Opposites

  • perte d'odoratloss of smellnoun

Related words

  • déodorantdeodorantnoun
  • odorantfragrantadjective

Word lists with this word