scent

A scent is a smell. Every house has a particular scent that is recognizable to people as belonging to that house.

Scent comes from the Latin sentire meaning "to feel, perceive, sense." The word was originally used in reference to hunting dogs, who track down animals by their scent. If you "pick up a scent," then you have a clue about something. If you wear a perfume, then you leave your scent in the air as you pass. Use scent instead of smell if you want to talk about a distinctively nice odor, like the scent of fresh-cut grass.

Definitions of scent
  1. noun
    any property detected by the olfactory system
    synonyms: aroma, odor, odour, olfactory property, smell
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    types:
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    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
    tang
    a pungent and distinctive odor
    B.O., body odor, body odour
    malodorousness resulting from a failure to bathe
    type of:
    property
    a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class
  2. noun
    a distinctive odor that is pleasant
    synonyms: aroma, fragrance, perfume
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    types:
    incense
    the pleasing scent produced when incense is burned
    petrichor
    a pleasant, earthly smell associated with rain, especially after a period of dry, warm weather
    type 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
  3. noun
    an odor left in passing by which a person or animal can be traced
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    types:
    musk
    the scent of a greasy glandular secretion from the male musk deer
    type 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
  4. verb
    catch the scent of; get wind of
    synonyms: nose, wind
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    type of:
    smell
    inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense
  5. verb
    cause to smell or be smelly
    synonyms: odorize, odourise
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    Antonyms:
    deodorise, deodorize, deodourise
    eliminate the odor from
    types:
    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
    type of:
    cause to be perceived
    have perceptible qualities
  6. verb
    apply perfume to
    synonyms: perfume
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    type of:
    groom, neaten
    care for one's external appearance
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