lingering smell
1
3.2
- noun
:
olor persistente
- Whenever there is a lingering smell, the first culprit I found was the area where the toilet seat is screwed on (urine seems to collect there).
- lingering smell of burning
Examples
-
Even hours after the candles were blown out, the lingering smell of vanilla filled the room.
-
The lingering smell of Darksiders.
Fiction book (2000) -
The lingering smell of rain on Allie's clothes cut through the onion's violent odor.
Fiction book (1996) -
The lingering smell of incense in their clothes and the effect of mass had drained them.
Fiction book (1995) -
Visiting missionaries were often taken aback by the practice, mostly on account of the lingering smell.
Blog text (25) -
The staff had cleaned up and gone home for the evening, but there was still the lingering smell of garlic, rosemary, and freshly baked bread.
Fiction book (1998) -
Joseph liked their colored notepaper, the lady's handwriting, which was so easy to read, and the lingering smell of perfume that still clung to each sheet of stationery.
Fiction book (1992) -
After cooking dinner, I struggled to get rid of the lingering smell of fish in the kitchen.
-
The lingering smell of smoke from the campfire reminded us of the fun we had that night.
Synonyms
605
1.0
A scent you notice with your nose
145
1.9
A strong or noticeable smell, often unpleasant like smoke
83
2.6
A pleasant sweet smell from flowers or perfume
80
3.5
A very bad strong smell that makes you feel sick
2
3.4
A bad, stale smell from damp or old things
2
2.8
Air that smells old and feels heavy
1
3.3
A strong sharp smell that makes your eyes water
1
7.2
A stale, slightly moldy smell or taste in old damp things
1
9.0
A very strong bad smell that makes you feel sick
1
4.3
A strong unpleasant smell that makes people move away
1
7.2
A strong, very bad smell from sewage or rotten garbage
A stale, musty smell from old wood or damp rooms
A bad, stale smell or taste on food and in rooms that shows rot
A bad, stale smell from old, damp things
An unpleasant damp smell in places like basements or cellars
A strong, unpleasant smell that people dislike
A strong, unpleasant smell that is easy to notice
A very strong bad air that makes you think of rotting things or disease
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a smell that remains for a long time' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'lingering' (remaining/staying longer) with 'smell' (odor). This adjective+noun composition follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern and would be immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
The phrase lingering smell comes from the image of a smell that keeps lingering in the air, like smoke or garlic that stays in a room long after the source is gone. That's why it means 'a smell that remains for a long time'.