olfactory
adjective
ōl-
Did you know?
No, olfactory is not a noun meaning “a place that makes scents”; for that, you want perfumery, which makes more sense. Olfactory is instead an adjective used to describe things related to one’s sense of smell, that which lets you detect fruit with your snoot, a leek with your beak, Shiraz with your schnozz. Olfactory comes from the Latin word olfacere (“to smell”), which in turn combines two verbs, olēre (“to give off a smell”) and facere (“to do”). It 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 is occasionally used in less technical writing and speech. The pleasant smell of hot mulled cider, for example, might be considered an “olfactory delight,” depending on the spices and your own sensibilities, of course. As they say, the nose knows.
Examples of olfactory in a Sentence
Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 5 Apr. 2024
Yes Sensory data Audio, electronic, visual, thermal, olfactory, or similar information.
—Big Think, 1 Jan. 2020
As mosquitoes age, their olfactory system becomes less sensitive, according to Walter S. Leal, a UC Davis distinguished professor in molecular and cellular biology who has researched insects for more than 30 years and studied the effectiveness of DEET and other insect repellents.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024
Dada, for example, is an olfactory tribute to the 20th century movement of the same name, which counted Marcel Duchamp and Max Ernst among its artists, with clashing notes of camomile, sharp eucalyptus and tea.
—Felix Bischof, theweek, 8 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for olfactory 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'olfactory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Olfactory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/olfactory. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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olfactory
adjective
Medical Definition
olfactory
adjective
ōl-
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