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Glite Dictionary
olfactory sensation

olfactory sensation

1 6.9
A feeling you have when you smell something
  • noun
  • /ɔlˈfæktəri səˈneɪʃən/
  • Specialized
: sensación olfativa
  • Walking through the garden, the olfactory sensation of blooming flowers enveloped her senses.

Examples

  • He experienced a strong olfactory sensation as he opened the bottle of aged wine.

  • Items with considerable fat, if not contained while cooking, can create quite a negative olfactory sensation.

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  • The bakery filled the air with a warm olfactory sensation of fresh bread and pastries.

Synonyms

smell
vsolfactory sensation
721 1.0

A scent you notice with your nose

is the internal bodily feeling when receptors respond to airborne chemicals
odor
vsolfactory sensation
  • US
137 1.9

A strong or noticeable smell, often unpleasant like smoke

is the internal bodily feeling rather than the external identifiable scent
olfactory perception
vsolfactory sensation
  • Specialized
1 6.6

The ability to notice and recognize smells with your nose

is the raw bodily feeling from receptor activation not the recognition process

How Strong

stench
81 3.5
olfactory sensation
  • Specialized
1 6.9
odorless
  • US
11 3.0

Surface Forms

olfactory sensation singular
olfactory sensations plural

Morphology

olfactory + sensation

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'olfactory' (related to smell) + 'sensation' (a feeling), yielding 'a feeling of smell'. This adjective+noun combination follows regular English composition patterns and has clear cross-linguistic cognates, so a learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Olfactory sensation comes from Latin words: olfactory meaning 'to smell' and sensation meaning 'feeling'. So it creates the simple image of your nose sensing something in the air and means the 'smell' you notice.