Search from various English teachers...
ayshemgul
what is the difference between this words about smell?
There is many words about smell. like this sentence: The sence of smell, or olfaction, is powerful. Odours can affect us on a psychological and social level. so what is the diffrence between smell, olfaction, odours, aromas, scent, olfaction ect.
Jan 2, 2014 2:37 PM
Answers · 3
4
Well, very briefly, olfaction is the scientific word for the ability to smell. Odours and aromas are both things that you can smell but we use aromas for rather nice smells (coffee, herbs etc) and odours for unpleasant smells usually (like sweat, urine). Scent is perfume, or more generally a smell someone or something gives off (dogs follow the scent of a rabbit). Collocation is everything (collocation means words that are associated together often). In a scientific report expect olfaction. If the toilet is blocked expect odours. Opening a new coffee jar gives you a lovely aroma. Sweaty socks, as well as giving off a bad odour, will leave a strong scent for a dog to follow. You'll have to spray your socks with scent (perfume) !
January 2, 2014
3
In English, scent and aroma (particularly aroma) have a positive meaning, so you can think of them as "smelling good." Odor has a bad connotation, so you say something has an odor if it smells bad. Smell itself is neutral, but generally tends to be more negative than positive (when you say something smells, it means it smells bad. To make it positive, you have to say "it smells good.") Olfaction is a scientific word that is neutral and not used often in everyday life.
January 2, 2014
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!
ayshemgul
Language Skills
Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, German, Turkish, Uyghur
Learning Language
Arabic, English, Turkish
Articles You May Also Like

How to Answer “How Was Your Weekend?” Naturally in English
20 likes · 6 Comments

Why Some Jokes Don’t Translate: Understanding Humor in English
8 likes · 1 Comments

How to Talk About Your Strengths and Weaknesses Professionally
5 likes · 1 Comments
More articles
