Wednesday 30 November 2011

Olor

The WOTD is: 'olor' = smell*

In Spanish, the noun 'olor' is a masculine noun of Latin origin, the meaning of which is the smell (the emanations perceived by the sense smell). The Spanish noun 'olor' may also be used to refer to a suspicion of something being hidden.

*NB The noun 'olfato' should only be used when referring to smell as a sense/ sensory organ. The Spanish noun 'olfato' may be used to refer to intuition/ shrewdness/ insight which some people have (as in "to have a nose for something").

The main Spanish action word/ verb is 'oler'. The verb 'oler' may be used to refer to the general meaning: to smell. Another related  Spanish verb is 'olfatear'. The verb 'olfatear' may be used more specifically when meaning: to sniff or to follow an investigative trail.


A related Spanish describing word/ adjective is: 'oloroso'. The Spanish adjective 'oloroso' describes someone or something as being smelly, but mainly smelling nice.


Some expressions containing the word 'olor' or the related words in them are:
  • De olor (perfumed/ aromatic).
  • Olor a ... (smell of...).
  • En olor de multitudes (with admiration of people/ crowds)
  • En olor de santidad (holy/ like a saint... but also with fame/ reputation).
  • Mal olor (bad smell).
  • Oler a... (to smell of...).

Examples of the use of the words 'olor', and related words are:
  • Hemos recogido unas hierbas de olor (we have picked some perfumed herbs).
  • Eso me da olor a queso (that smells of cheese).
  • ¡Qué mal olor! (what a bad smell/ what a pong!)
  • A María la recibieron en olor de multitudes (María was welcomed by huge crowds).
  • Teresa vivó en olor de santidad (Theresa led the life of a saint).
  • ¡Qué olfato tiene Pedro para los negocios! (what a nose for business Pedro has!).

Love-Spanish.com loves the word 'olor' in the YouTube clip: El Olfato
 
For more on the word 'olor', visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Olor

*NB 'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “olor” in the link to hear the word pronounced.

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1 comment:

Margaret M said...

No me gusta nada el olor del queso azul