Make Your Point > Archived Issues > OLFACTORY
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connect this word to others:
On Buffy The Vampire Slayer, we didn't get enough episodes based on Xander. I loved his goofiness:
Giles: [The demon] had a very specific olfactory presence.
Xander: Well, I guess we're off to the old factory. I hate that place... I'm joking. I know what it means. He smelled. Right?
Right, he smelled: an olfactory presence is sensed with the nose; "olfactory" means "having to do with the sense of smell."
Inside the word olfactory, you can almost see the Latin words facere, "to make," and olere, "to give off a smell." Olere also gave us a lovely word for lovely smells, like when pavement is r__ole__ with the richness of rain. (Can you recall it?)
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"OLFACTORY"
"Olfaction" is the ability to smell. ("Olfaction" has Latin roots that literally mean "smell making," which explains why it looks like other words about making things, like "factory.")
So, something olfactory involves the sense of smell.
Pronunciation:
ole FACK tuh ree
Part of speech:
Adjective: "an olfactory delight," "the sharpest part of that memory is olfactory."
Other forms:
The noun is "olfaction," the adverb is "olfactorily," and an alternate adjective that means the same thing as "olfactory" is "olfactive."
And the adjective "olfactible" means "able to be smelled: giving off a smell." Cool, right? Let's file that one in the memory banks along with "visible," "audible," "tasteable," and "tangible."
How to use it:
This word has a formal tone. You'll see it in medical contexts--"olfactory bulb," "olfactory nerve"--but it's also appropriate for general contexts.
Talk about olfactory senses and abilities; olfactory delights and sensations; olfactory memories and experiences; olfactory presences, properties and manifestations; even olfactory hallucinations.
examples:
"There’s not much to smell in a winter pasture. There actually is, of course, I just can’t register it, and I think for the millionth time that, at least on an olfactory level, a dog’s life is infinitely more interesting than mine."
— Callan Wink, The New Yorker, 13 August 2018
"A prop guy went to the cafeteria and emptied all the food that had been left on plates into a bucket, which they would then pour onto the unsuspecting actor. But they ran out of time that day and couldn't shoot the scene until a week later... They dumped [the bucket] on the kid anyway. Pretty much everyone within olfactory range was disgusted to some extent or another."
— Adam Clair, The Verge, 23 August 2017
has this page helped you understand "olfactory"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "olfactory" without saying "scent-related" or "detected by the nose."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "It's one of my richest olfactory memories: breathing in the scent of (something) as (someone did something)."
Example: "It's one of my richest olfactory memories: breathing in the scent of Sanrio, of clean paper, new plastic, and fruity candy, as my sister and I stocked and straightened the shelves."
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Our game this month is "Inspired by, but in no way associated with, the game show Chain Reaction."
In each issue, try filling in both puzzles—the easier one and the tougher one—by supplying the terms to complete the chains.
From the previous issue:
An easier puzzle:
Imperial
M____
Madness
A tougher puzzle:
Gravity
C____
L___
Spirits
Answers:
Imperial
March
Madness
Gravity
Chair
Lifts
Spirits
Give these a try today:
An easier puzzle:
Abject
H_____
Movie
A tougher puzzle:
Slow
G____
M_____
Dexterity
review this word:
1. The opposite of OLFACTION is
A. ANOSMIA: an inability to detect odors.
B. PULCHRITUDE: great physical beauty.
C. UNANIMITY: a state of complete agreement.
2. Karla L. Miller at the Washington Post offers advice for dealing with "olfactory offenders," the employees who don't _____.
A. try
B. bathe
C. socialize
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
On Buffy The Vampire Slayer, we didn't get enough episodes based on Xander. I loved his goofiness: "Olfaction" is the ability to smell. ("Olfaction" has Latin roots that literally mean "smell making," which explains why it looks like other words about making things, like "factory.")
"There’s not much to smell in a winter pasture. There actually is, of course, I just can’t register it, and I think for the millionth time that, at least on an olfactory level, a dog’s life is infinitely more interesting than mine."
Explain the meaning of "olfactory" without saying "scent-related" or "detected by the nose."
Fill in the blanks: "It's one of my richest olfactory memories: breathing in the scent of (something) as (someone did something)."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. The opposite of OLFACTION is
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