Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “odor” come from?

Odor comes from Middle English odour, from Anglo-Norman odour, from Latin odor, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₃ed-.

odor (English): Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; A...

Definitions

  1. Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; A...

Ancestry of “odor”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishodourA smell or scent; a nasal sensation; A sensation...
2Anglo-Normanodour—
3Old Frenchodor—
4LatinodorA smell, perfume, stench; Inkling, suggestion
5Latinodōs—
6Proto-Italicodōs—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃édos—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ed-to smell, stink; to hate; to bite

Words derived from “odor”

  • odorless
  • odoriferous
  • deodorizer
  • odiferous
  • deodorize
  • malodor
  • odored
  • deodoriser
  • deodorise
  • deodorisation
  • odorlessness
  • odoriferously
  • odoriferousness
  • odorize
  • odorization
  • odorizer
  • odorlessly
  • odiferously
  • odorful
  • odortaxis
  • odiferousness
  • odorise
  • odoriser
  • odorsome
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ed- →