smell
/smɛl/
noun/verb
Origin
Middle English
smellen — to smell, to emit an odor
Overview
Meaning Now
- The faculty or power of perceiving odors or scents by means of the organs in the nose.
- A sensation perceived by the sense of smell; an odor or scent.
Language path
West Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
smellen
Earliest period
12th century
Journey
The word 'smell' is famously an etymological 'orphan' in the Germanic languages. Unlike most basic verbs, it lacks clear cognates in Old High German, Gothic, or Old Norse. It emerged in Middle English without a clear ancestor in Old English, leading some scholars to suggest it may have been a late development or a loanword from a North Sea Germanic dialect that was not recorded in early texts.
Evolution
- Middle English
smellen
“to emit or perceive an odor”
Appears in the 12th century; origin remains etymologically mysterious.
- Early Modern English
smell
“sense of scent or odor”
Standardized spelling established.
Connections
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Related to smell
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.