Word wanted
Submitted by Sarah D. Bunting on August 20, 2007 – 8:34 AM29 Comments
Does a word exist that is like “acoustics,” but for smells? And if not, can anyone suggest a sniglet that fits? The best one I’ve come up with so far is “apoostics,” since the question came up during an assessment of fart-blame, but I’d like a word that addresses good and bad smells, and my best candidate there, “ascentics,” sounds like a product you’d laugh at in SkyMall for being a dressed-up Glade Plug-In and costing $39.99.
Anyone?
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Uh… “Emanations?” “Emanatics?”
Okay, if you want to make a word parallel to ‘acoustic’, which is from Greek ‘to hear’, you could use eudoics, which is from the Greek ‘to smell’. (I don’t know if anyone uses this word this way now, but it seems unlikely — not that this should stop you.)
There’s also the great word ‘osphresiology’, (ALSO from a Greek word meaning ‘to smell’) which is the scientific study of the sense of smell. So you could extend that word and talk about the osphresiologistics of a room, yes?
I found this definition of “osmics” (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=osmics&r=66) :
n. (used with a sing. verb)
The science that deals with smells and the olfactory sense.
Not sure if that’s what you’re after…
Osmics (not made up!)
olfactoustics? I know, lame.
Oooh, I got a real one:
Aromatics. It actually refers to the chemical compounds which cause scent, but you can use the term to refer to aspects of smell, both good and bad.
Hey, Sars.
I believe the word family you’re looking for is “osmics,” which is the science dealing with the sense of smell. “Osmatic” is an adjective pertaining to the sense of smell, and is also used to describe critters with a keen sense of smell.
However, based on the dictionaries I checked (Random House Unabridged, Webster New International (3d), plus the usual assorted desk dictionaries), “osmatic” hasn’t made the same leap that “acoustic” has, that leap that would take it from singular to collective, from the study of an organ to the quality of the stimulus.
I say give it a push and use “osmatics.”
Meanwhile, I’ll climb up a few shelves and check my OED.
-Patti
Nose, redolence, or whiff are the closest real-word options I can think of. Possible sniglets:
Aromantics … olfactonic … olfaquality … smellosity … scentishness …
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/ is a fun way to see words’ interrelations.
When I typed in ‘scent’, a bunch of different related words generated, and that helped me see what root I’d like to build off of to come up with these possibilities
…. olfactoromics, olfactometrics (more to measure intensity of smell, I think). However in the context you describe (dutch ovens), I’d add odoristics or mephistics.
I know that the word translates to “water”, but because it brings smelly things to mind and it is so similar to “acoustics” in pronunciation, I like “eaucoustics”.
Well, it is not exactly a pretty word but it is real – sillage: the trail of scent left behind by a perfume. I sell fragrance for a living and it is not a word I would ever use to describe a scent or how long it lasts, but there you go.
I usually refer to accords (combinations of singular notes to create an impression) and compositions (the structural components of a scent, often pyramid in shape, from top, to middle, to dry-down) and maybe one of these would better suit your particular need.
It seems to me that you could use “olfactory” to refer to (or describe) scent in the same way that you can use “acoustic” to refer to (or describe) sound. It’s not really listed that way in the dictionary, but it works just fine in a sentence.
Going from what Kristina says, a good word might be sillagistics?
Does that mean that a study of it would be a sillagism (syllogism)?
My friend claims “olfactics.”
lepewstics – pepe le pew loved smells good and bad so maybe this could cover both?
ewwsmics – osmics but with a negative connotation?
How about ‘olfactrics’?
How about olfaction? Does that work?
Olfactions.
ewcoustics if you’re talking about farts!
My brother-in-law’s family refers to smells and the general areas they occupy as “smell shapes.”
e.g. “I just walked into the nastiest smell shape!”
or “I think that orange and clove smell shape followed me into the living room.”
I have completely adopted it – a very handy phrase.
Four options and a new tool:
1. osmics
2. osmology
3. olfactology
4. osphresiology
http://onelook.com/?w=%2A&loc=revfp2&clue=study+of+odor
I vote for either aromatics or olfactics. You want a word that other people are going to be able to guess the meaning of.
in the sniglet category: “aromacoustics”
My favorite suggestion was “sillagistics” until I figured out why I liked the sound of that word so much: it’s because “syllogistic” is already a word.
“Aristotelian logic, also known as syllogistic logic, is the particular type
of logic created by Aristotle, primarily in his works Prior Analytics and
De Interpretatione. It later developed into what became known as
traditional logic or term logic.”
I asked thy guys in the office, who have a fart trophy. (It’s a can of beans on an elaborate wooden base.)
The criteria to be champion includes noise volume, distance, duration of sound, duration of stench, gurgle.and they award extra points if one of them can sneak one out while in someone else’s cubicle.
No, I’m really not kidding. Save me, please!
I vote for olfactics too.
Going off of Bonnie’s comment, how about “smellscape”?
Hi Sars. “Boof.” I just love it. But it’s Tom Robbin’s word, not mine.
When the comment above showed up in the queue, I initially thought it was tagged to a baseball entry, because of that pitcher Boof Bonser. I wonder if he knows about the Tom Robbins meaning.
Mr. S and I use a “smell shape”-esque term called “fart wake,” but that’s pretty specific to, you know, the wakes of farts. I think I’m going to go with “aromacoustics” because it has part of “acoustics” in it, so it’s easier to tell what’s meant. “Osmics” is a sweet word but it’s less immediately evident what it means.