olfaction

noun

ol·​fac·​tion äl-ˈfak-shən How to pronounce olfaction (audio) ōl- How to pronounce olfaction (audio)
1
: the sense of smell
2
: the act or process of smelling

Examples of olfaction in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Reports of lost taste and smell — often in the absence of the kind of nasal congestion that interferes with olfaction with the common cold — have been circulating for months. Greg Miller, Discover Magazine, 19 May 2020 Presumably, then, the art of olfaction can ready our minds for new experiences. Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 If olfaction is a gateway to our past lives, then D.S. & Durga’s perfumes are a detour to somewhere else entirely. Anna Fixsen, ELLE Decor, 8 Sep. 2023 But a fly can tell — and olfaction researchers have previously overlooked this possibility. Dana MacKenzie, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2023 But sit with that for a while: Try to imagine an existence in which scent is no less important than sight, and your very sense of time and self is entangled with olfaction. Brandon Keim, Popular Science, 17 Aug. 2023 However, that discovery didn’t tell researchers much about human olfaction because insect olfactory receptors work fundamentally differently from ours. Wynne Parry, Quanta Magazine, 1 May 2023 In addition to these two growth spurts, the researchers suggest, olfaction led to a third set of changes in the mammal brain. Valerie Ross, Discover Magazine, 20 May 2011 What Parts of the Brain Control Smell? Scholars and scientists have been picking at the link between olfaction and emotional memory for well over a century. Alex Orlando, Discover Magazine, 12 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'olfaction.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of olfaction was circa 1833

Dictionary Entries Near olfaction

Cite this Entry

“Olfaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/olfaction. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

olfaction

noun
ol·​fac·​tion äl-ˈfak-shən How to pronounce olfaction (audio)
ōl-
: the sense of smell
also : the act or process of smelling

Medical Definition

olfaction

noun
ol·​fac·​tion äl-ˈfak-shən How to pronounce olfaction (audio) ōl- How to pronounce olfaction (audio)
1
: the sense of smell
2
: the act or process of smelling

More from Merriam-Webster on olfaction

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