olfactory

adjective ol·fac·to·ry \ äl-ˈfak-t(ə-)rē , ōl- \

|Updated on: 27 Jul 2018

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of olfactory

: of or relating to the sense of smell

olfactory receptors

olfactory sensations

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olfactorily

play \äl-ˈfak-t(ə-)rə-lē, ōl-\ adverb

See olfactory defined for English-language learners

See olfactory defined for kids

olfactory was our Word of the Day on 09/17/2014. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of olfactory from the Web

Common olfactory hallucinations include lots of icky odors.

— NBC News, "Phantom smells may be a sign of trouble," 10 July 2018
Every team’s hospitality suite is positioned immediately above its garage, giving well-off fans (and stray journalists like me) the best aural and olfactory experience of the race, if not the best viewing angle.

— vlad savov, The Verge, "In Formula 1, you have to be amazing just to be average," 26 June 2018
Here's a snapshot: While humans have about 6 million olfactory receptors in their noses, dog noses contain upwards of 300 million.

— Southern Living, "10 Things You Should Know About Your Dog," 3 July 2018
The genetic variants in the olfactory receptors are now thought to be the reason behind those that dislike the herb.

— alexandra deabler, Fox News, "A genetic test can determine if you will hate cilantro," 25 June 2018
An olfactory delight, this secret space was established in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London as a teaching space for those working with medicinal plants.

— patrick sisson, Curbed, "Secret gardens: A global tour of hidden urban oases," 12 June 2018
One case in 2015 did bring attention to dogs finding hardware through their olfactory senses.

— shannon liao, The Verge, "Police departments are training dogs to sniff out thumb drives," 11 June 2018
For this reason, humans aren’t particularly aware of the richness of information that can be transmitted through the air, and can be perceived by a highly sensitive olfactory system.

— andrea soltoggio, Smithsonian, "Artificial Intelligence May Be Able To Smell Illnesses in Human Breath," 12 June 2018
Merely brushing up against the leaves will leave you in a state of olfactory euphoria.

— norman winter, Houston Chronicle, "Golden Delicious pineapple sage," 25 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'olfactory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Olfactory derives from the past participle of the Latin olfacere, which means "to smell" and which was formed from the verb olēre (also "to smell") and facere ("to do"). Olfactory is a word that often appears in scientific contexts (as in "olfactory nerves," the nerves that pass from the nose to the brain and contain the receptors that make smelling possible), but it has occasionally branched out into less specialized contexts. The pleasant smell of spring flowers, for example, might be considered an "olfactory delight." A related word, olfaction, is a noun referring to the sense of smell or the act or process of smelling.