olfactory
ol-FAK-tuh-ree
/ɒlˈfæk.tər.i/
Relating to the sense of smell.
Typically used in scientific, medical, or highly descriptive literary contexts rather than everyday casual conversation.
The story behind the word. The word olfactory traces back to the Latin verb 'olfacere', which literally means 'to make a smell'. It entered English in the mid-17th century as scientists began to map out the human nervous system and isolate the specific nerves responsible for our sense of smell.
Word relationships
- sensory: Sensory is a broad term for all five senses, whereas olfactory is strictly limited to the sense of smell.
Commonly confused with
- gustatory: Gustatory relates to the sense of taste, while olfactory relates to the sense of smell.
Word family
- olfaction (noun): The action or capacity of smelling.
Collocations
- olfactory nerve
- olfactory system
- olfactory fatigue
- olfactory memory
Example sentences
- "The dog's highly developed olfactory system allows it to track faint scents over vast distances." A scientific observation about canine biology.
- "The bakery filled the street with an olfactory feast of warm yeast and caramelized sugar." A literary description of a sensory experience.
Memory hook
Think of an 'old factory' that produces very strong, distinct smells that hit your nose the moment you walk by. Old factory smells.
When not to use
Do not use when describing taste or touch, even though smell heavily influences taste.
Fun facts
- Humans have about 400 working olfactory receptors, while dogs have closer to 300 million, making their sense of smell up to 100,000 times more acute than ours.
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