Library / English Dictionary

SCENT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any property detected by the olfactory system

Synonyms:

aroma; odor; odour; olfactory property; scent; smell

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("scent" is a kind of...):

property (a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class)

Attribute:

odorous (having odor or a characteristic odor)

inodorous; odorless; odourless (having no odor)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "scent"):

bouquet; fragrance; fragrancy; redolence; sweetness (a pleasingly sweet olfactory property)

fetidness; foulness; malodorousness; rankness; stinkiness (the attribute of having a strong offensive smell)

muskiness (having the olfactory properties of musk)

rancidness (the property of being rancid)

Derivation:

scent (catch the scent of; get wind of)

scent (cause to smell or be smelly)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An odor left in passing by which a person or animal can be traced

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("scent" is a kind of...):

odor; odour; olfactory perception; olfactory sensation; smell (the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "scent"):

musk (the scent of a greasy glandular secretion from the male musk deer)

Derivation:

scent (catch the scent of; get wind of)

scent (cause to smell or be smelly)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A distinctive odor that is pleasant

Synonyms:

aroma; fragrance; perfume; scent

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("scent" is a kind of...):

odor; odour; olfactory perception; olfactory sensation; smell (the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "scent"):

incense (the pleasing scent produced when incense is burned)

Derivation:

scent (apply perfume to)

scent (cause to smell or be smelly)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Apply perfume to

Example:

She perfumes herself every day

Synonyms:

perfume; scent

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "scent" is one way to...):

groom; neaten (care for one's external appearance)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

scent (a distinctive odor that is pleasant)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Catch the scent of; get wind of

Example:

The dog nosed out the drugs

Synonyms:

nose; scent; wind

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "scent" is one way to...):

smell (inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Also:

scent out (recognize or detect by or as if by smelling)

Derivation:

scent (any property detected by the olfactory system)

scent (an odor left in passing by which a person or animal can be traced)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Cause to smell or be smelly

Synonyms:

odorize; odourise; scent

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "scent" is one way to...):

cause to be perceived (have perceptible qualities)

Cause:

smell (emit an odor)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "scent"):

smell up; stink out; stink up (cause to smell bad; fill with a bad smell)

aromatise; aromatize; perfume (fill or impregnate with an odor)

cense; incense; thurify (perfume especially with a censer)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

scent (any property detected by the olfactory system)

scent (an odor left in passing by which a person or animal can be traced)

scent (a distinctive odor that is pleasant)

Credits

 Context examples: 

‘16 Ivy Lane, Brixton,’ he answered. ‘But don’t let yourself be drawn away upon a false scent, Mr. Phelps.’

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Don't raise your voice, for they have long ears—sharp eyes, too, but no power of scent, so far as I could judge, so I don't think they can sniff us out.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The process of heating (without boiling) a mixture of water and an essential oil (scented liquid taken from a plant) to release a pleasant aroma.

(Aromatherapy infusion, NCI Dictionary)

It can be caused by taking certain drugs, or rubbing certain essential oils (scented liquid taken from plants) or other topical agents into the skin.

(Phototoxicity, NCI Dictionary)

Its essential oil (scented liquid taken from plants) is used in perfumes, shampoos, face creams, lotions, and aromatherapy.

(English chamomile, NCI Dictionary)

My senses were gratified and refreshed by a thousand scents of delight and a thousand sights of beauty.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

A heavy-scented broom and many flowering shrubs had almost taken the place of grass.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

There they found Sir Nigel Loring and Ford safely lodged at the sign of the “Baton Rouge,” where they supped on good fare and slept between lavender-scented sheets.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

An oil with little or no scent that is used to dilute or “carry” essential oils (scented liquid taken from plants).

(Carrier oil, NCI Dictionary)

A very poisonous chemical substance made from tar and also found in some plants and essential oils (scented liquid taken from plants).

(Carbolic acid, NCI Dictionary)