scentn.
/sɛnt/, U.S. /sɛnt/ 1. † a. Perception by the senses generally; feeling, sensibility. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > [noun] > physical sensation
feelinga1225
witc1290
sentimentc1374
perceivinga1398
scentc1422
feelc1450
sensation1598
aesthesis1601
sensing1613
sensity1613
resentment1634
perceptiona1652
scenting1657
sensating1666
awaring1674
sensitivity1819
sense perception1846
sentition1865
c1422 T. Hoccleve Tale of Jerelaus (Durh.) l. 850 in Minor Poems (1970) i. 170 And ther-to eek, as sharp punisshement As þat dyuyse ther kowde any wight, Thow sholdest han y-preeued by the sent.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 4615 (MED) All þis condicions I call bot comon of bestis, Þat has no sent in þaire saule, ne sauour in na gude.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. i. sig. B He bids thee to him send for his intent A fit false dreame, that can delude the sleepers sent.
b. The faculty or sense of smell.Chiefly with reference to that of animals (esp. dogs) which detect and track their quarry or recognize objects by this sense.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > [noun] > sense of smell
smellingc1175
smellc1200
nosea1375
odoura1450
scent1488
odorate1614
parosmis1817
parosmia1884
osmatism1903
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) v. l. 26 In Gyllis-land thar was that brachell brede, Sekyr off sent to folow thaim at flede.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 20 Fisches lurking amang the stanes thay [sc. dogs] seik out with thair sent.
1642 T. Taylor God's Judgem. ii. vii. 110 He had all the Aromaticks and Odoriferous Perfumes to delight his sent in smelling.
1735 W. Somervile Chace i. 94 The perfect Hound, in Scent and Speed Unrivall'd.
1785 W. Cowper Task iii. 621 The sight is pleas'd The scent regal'd.
1827 C. I. Johnstone Scenes of Industry iv. 58 Bees fly a mile in search of honey, which by their acute scent they find it flowers where it lies deeply hid.
1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) IV. 277 The dog, having the help of scent as well as of sight, is superior to the savage.
1930 Illustr. London News 15 Mar. 434/3 Doubtless scent..serves them [sc. tigers] in good stead, and may even, in fortunate circumstances, lead them to their prey.
1962 Amer. Speech 37 195 Dog-fisher, the common otter. Isaak Walton..uses this name and waterdog, mentioning the animal's keen scent.
2002 J. Cunliffe Encycl. Dog Breeds (new ed.) 338/1 The Norwegian hound, or Dunker as it is also known, was developed to hunt and retrieve hares, mainly by scent.
c. figurative and in figurative contexts. A talent or knack for detecting or finding something. In later use with for.
ΚΠ
1590 ‘Pasquil’ First Pt. Pasquils Apol. sig. Bv It may be I am of some better sente then you take me for, and finding a Machiauellian tricke in this plot..I was [etc.].
1662 Duchess of Newcastle Female Acad. i. ii, in Playes Written 655 He hath a marvelous quick Scent, to smel out a Rebellion or Treason.
1711 S. H. Do No Right iii. 128 He [sc. a Cruel Creditor] is a Blood-hound of the Law, and wants not a quick scent to put up his Game.
1838 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Ferdinand & Isabella I. i. i. 14 The courtiers, with the quick scent of their own interest,..soon turned their attention to the same polite studies.
1872 Jrnl. E. India Assoc. 6 136 The natives have wonderful penetration as to character—in fact, if anybody has a scent for a true gentleman, it is the native of India.
1908 Chambers's Jrnl. Feb. 204/1 The scent for sweetstuffs is very strongly developed in the Customs officer, and he has found sugar in such an unlikely article as blacking.
1949 Billboard 22 Oct. 79/2 The Southerner has a scent for expanding opportunities.
2013 R. H. Nieder Everything just Yesterday v. 33 He was a handful and a wild one, full of boundless energy and a strong scent for trouble.
2.
a. The characteristic odour of a person or animal by which hunting dogs or other animals are able to detect and track their quarry; (hence) a track or trail formed by this odour. Frequently in fixed phrases, as to get (also take, pick up) the scent at Phrases 1, to throw (also put) off the scent at Phrases 4b. Also in on (also upon) the scent (of): following the odour trail left by a quarry.Recorded earliest in to have the (also a) scent at Phrases 1.cold scent: see cold adj. 12a. hot scent: see hot adj. 11a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > thing hunted or game > [noun] > scent
scentc1422
suit1579
foot scent1735
society > communication > indication > marking > a mark > trace or vestige > [noun]
signa1382
stepa1382
ficchingc1384
marka1400
tracesc1400
scentc1422
footstep?a1425
tidinga1440
relicc1475
smell?a1505
stead1513
vestigy1545
print1548
token1555
remnant1560
show1561
mention1564
signification1576
footing?1580
tract1583
remainder1585
vestige1602
wrack1602
engravement1604
footstepping1610
resent1610
ghost1613
impression1613
remark1624
footprint1625
studdle1635
vestigium1644
relict1646
perception1650
vestigiary1651
track1657
symptom1722
signacle1768
ray1773
vestigia1789
footmark1800
souvenir1844
latent1920
c1422 T. Hoccleve Tale of Jerelaus (Durh.) l. 272 in Minor Poems (1970) i. 149 [There was] An Erl..Beforn whos howndes was a fox rennynge..And as þat they ran, they hadden a sent Of the lady, and thidir be they went.
a1425 Edward, Duke of York Master of Game (Digby) i. 14 For the fuos of somme hares is of hotter sent thenne some.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) vi. 500 [The sleuthhund] hym luffit swa, That fra he mycht anys feill The kyngis sent..he vald change it for na thyng.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Richard III f. l Pleiyng the parte of a good blood hounde, [he] foloed the tract of ye flier..by ye sent.
1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie xiv. 36 When they haue well beaten and founde the tracke or sent of the Harte.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) i. i. 22 He [sc. a hound]..twice to day pick'd out the dullest sent.
1686 R. Blome Gentlemans Recreation ii. 88/2 When one or more of them [sc. foxhounds] opens, 'tis a sure sign that he is upon the Scent.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth III. 329 What adds to this entertainment is the strong scent which the fox leaves, that always keeps up a full cry.
1811 H. L. Stanhope Let. 28 July in I. Bruce Nun of Lebanon (1951) ii. ix. 116 A good hound must not overrun the scent, it is the true way of their being thrown out.
1885 Field 7 Feb. 147/2 Once in the open, it was obvious that there was only half a scent.
1890 Sat. Rev. 1 Feb. 135/1 In the vast forests of Europe a line-hunter on the scent of an ungalled hart would be lost to all eternity.
1925 Pop. Mech. Dec. 916/1 The hounds, undaunted, keep steadily on, till they find the scent.
1977 J. N. P. Watson Bk. of Foxhunting viii. 100 As the hounds that were mute catch the scent, they join in the chorus.
2003 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 5 Apr. 12 They put a fox off..and, after some uncertainty when he ran the road, hounds settled to the scent.
b. figurative and in extended use. Something likened to a scent; (now) esp. a trail of evidence or signs by which means a person may pursue an investigation, attain a goal, etc.; a sequence of actions, line of enquiry or thought, etc., leading to a particular outcome.Recorded earliest in to take the scent at Phrases 1.
ΚΠ
1599 T. Nashe Lenten Stuffe 21 Of him and none but him who in valuation is woorth 18. huge Argosees..haue I took sent or come in the wind of.
1605 R. Verstegan Restit. Decayed Intelligence ii. 30 His tale..hath as plain a sent as a man need to wish, to fynd out a fable by.
1653 H. More Antidote against Atheisme Pref. sig. A3 I..made my self as freely merry as I might.., that thereby they [sc. libertines] might know, that no Superstitious Sneaksby, or moped Legallist..did rebuke them or speak to them.., that they were in a false sent.
1683 W. Temple Mem. in Wks. (1731) I. 399 All further Thoughts of a present Peace ended, and left me only to pursue the cold Scent of a Mediation in the common Forms.
1739 Hist. Wks. Learned Aug. 128 I asked whether they were sure, after all, that they went upon a right Scent.
1858 W. Greener Gunnery in 1858 208 Proof positive, that we have been on the wrong scent, and running after a ‘Will o' the Wisp’.
1872 Q. Rev. Jan. 267 Another false scent by which the Proletariat have long been led astray.
1901 M. Foster Lect. Hist. Physiol. 57 He fruitfully laboured, as yet unharassed, for the blood-hounds of the Church had not caught scent of the heresies of his teachings.
1955 Life 24 Oct. 61/2 Off roared Muller again, on the cooling scent of his quarry..to the police station and there found his culprit.
2011 in B. W. Davis et al. Japanese & Continental Philos. 4 Hermeneutical hesitancy (or scholarly pride)..should not get in the way of the philosophical urge to follow the scent of wisdom wherever it may lead.
c. In the game of hare and hounds: the trail of flour, or paper fragments, laid by the ‘hares’ to serve as a track for the ‘hounds’ to follow. See hare and hounds n. at hare n. Compounds 1b.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > children's game > hiding or chasing game > [noun] > hare and hounds > fragments of paper
scent1848
1848 C. H. Newmarch Recoll. Rugby 158 If we are for hare-and-hounds, there is ‘scent’ to be torn.
1883 W. H. Rideing in Harper's Mag. July 178/2 A flushed little ‘hare’ bounds past us, distributing the paper ‘scent’ in his course.
1917 B.E.F. Times 8 Sept. in Wipers Times: Compl. Series (2006) 226/2 Last week they had a paper-chase, and all the Depots went; I had to follow up the 'ounds, and gather up the scent.
1988 R. A. Smith Sports & Freedom (1990) viii. 100 The newspaper fragments were scattered over the nine-mile run by the hares who were given a few minutes' head start before the forty or so young Rugbyite hounds were released to follow the scent.
2008 Targeted News Service (Nexis) 16 June A lead runner, called the Hare, leaves..to drop a trail of flour..(the 'scent') for the Harriers to follow through the urban sprawl.
3.
a. An odour or aroma; a distinctive or characteristic smell; esp. one that is pleasant.In quot. 1517: a distinctive taste, a flavour.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > [noun]
smacka1000
breathOE
smella1175
irea1300
weffea1300
thefa1325
relesec1330
odour?c1335
incensea1340
flair1340
savoura1350
smellingc1386
flavourc1400
fumec1400
reflairc1400
air?a1439
scent?1473
taste?c1475
verdure1520
senteur1601
waft1611
effluvium1656
fluor1671
burning scent1681
aura1732
fumet1735
snuff1763
olfacient1822
odouret1825
waff1827
gush1841
sniff1844
tang1858
nose1894
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fragrance > [noun] > fragrant smell
savouringc1390
scent?1473
balm1483
redolencec1530
spice1560
perfumea1593
redolency1610
soot1620
fragor1638
suaveolence1657
fragrance1667
incense1667
nosegay1700
aroma1814
musk1855
petrichor1964
?1473 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Recuyell Hist. Troye (1894) I. lf. 20 Every man rose fro the table abhorryng & eschewyng the sente and sauour of the dede man.
1517 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1928) iv. 20 In my mouthe, it hadde a meruaylous cent Of dyuers spyces.
1567 J. Maplet Greene Forest f. 79 That the earth..should give to the nose obiecte so swete Or minister scent so strong.
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. i. v. 150 The fragrant sents of flowerie banks.
1635 A. Stafford Femall Glory Ep. Ded. sig. a5 It is impossible to handle perfumes without bearing away part of their sent.
1716 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad II. vi. 359 Her rich Wardrobe..Where treasur'd Odors breath'd a costly Scent.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth II. 226 The Negroe nations..of Guinea..have an insupportable scent.
1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. IV. 140 There is scarcely a scent odious or agreeable that may not be met with in the insect world.
1863 H. W. Longfellow Prelude x, in Tales Wayside Inn 11 His garments breathed a spicy scent Of cinnamon and sandal blent.
1906 J. Galsworthy Man of Prop. 66 The sappy scent of the bracken stole forth from the wood.
1963 Boys' Life Feb. 52/1 His throat constricted with nausea at the overpowering scent.
1972 M. Atwood in Exile No. 1. 41 Your body replaying for you the deserts, jungles, the smell of rotting leaves, harsh acid scent of blood.
2008 J. Ralston Unlikely Lavender Queen 2 A breeze spread ripples through the long lavender spikes and delivered a rush of lavender scent mixed with the earthy aroma of chalky soil and woody undergrowth.
b. figurative. A distinctive property or characteristic quality of something, likened to a smell or odour; (also) a hint or slight indication that something may be near at hand. Frequently in extended metaphors.
ΚΠ
1570 A. Golding tr. D. Chytræus Postil 107 The sent of lukre by any meanes, seeme sweete for a whyle.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) iii. vii. sig. Mm2 One..would haue iudged, that his eies would haue run into him, & his soule out of him; so vnkindly did either take a sent of danger.
1590 ‘Pasquil’ First Pt. Pasquils Apol. sig. A3 When I see the theefe, and the sente of Church-robbers is in my nosthrils.
a1681 R. Allestree Whole Duty Divine Medit. (1694) xxi.136 A Heart..crown'd with the Diadem of Love, fumigated by Prayers, the odoriferous Scent of Chastity, and the Fragrancies of a Life of Sanctity.
a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 501 The scent of preferment will draw aspiring men after it.
1767 C. Churchill Poems (1772) I. 36 Quin, from afar, lur'd by the scent of fame.
1866 D. P. Starkey Dole of Malaga iv. iii. 144 I smell the scent of treachery; and I shake With horrible impatience, till I plunge My vengeance..Deep into streams of blood.
1868 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest II. viii. 248 Perhaps some scent of the coming danger reached him.
1897 Independent (U.S.) 18 Nov. 9 Nine-tenths of the miniatures have a decided scent of the photograph.
1929 D. H. Lawrence Pansies 54 And it's funny my dear young men, that you in your twenties should love the sewer scent Of obscenity.
1984 New York Mag. 24 Sept. 80/1 Those gastronomic virtuosos who can divine the scent of success even before Con Ed hooks up the gas were huddled at Jams' tables from day one.
2007 C. T. Adams & C. Clamp Moon's Fury 346 She paused and then the cold steel scent of determination chased away the sorrow.
4. A fragrant liquid, prepared from aromatic ingredients (esp. flowers), used to impart a pleasant smell to the body, clothes, etc.; a perfume. Also as a mass noun.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fragrance > [noun] > fragrant substance or perfume
pimentc1300
odoramentc1384
savouringc1384
odoura1425
aromatica1513
smella1533
fume1541
perfume1542
sweet-water?1543
scent1596
pomander1600
sweets1603
bisse1608
sweet-ball1617
plash1649
suffition1656
essence1661
odoratea1682
otto1822
aroma1830
nosegay1855
foo-foo1880
1596 A. Copley Fig for Fortune 80 Sweeter then all the sents of Arabie.
1615 E. Grimeston tr. P. d'Avity Estates 1128 When they will diuine at the request of any one, they perfume themselues with certaine scents.
1680 T. Shadwell Woman-captain ii. 13 Let me have costlier Scents, and fume the Room.
1750 tr. C. Leonardus Mirror of Stones 74 It has the smell and colour of myrrh, and is used as a scent.
1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products Vetiveyr, a name for the Khuskus grass; a scent or perfume so named.
1898 Cassell's Mag. June 42 A certain celebrated scent, made from the original recipe.
1923 Humorist 27 Oct. 336/2 Afore I realised it, the pound had went on a big box o' chocolates, three wee books o' poetry and a bottle o' scent.
1950 Life 4 Dec. 132/2 [They] came back for more of one particular scent—a sultry Oriental blend with overtones of luxury.
1991 Allure June 18 For as long as women have been wearing scent, they have been vexed by the old lastability conundrum. How to put on enough perfume in the morning so that it..will still linger into the evening?
2007 Esquire Feb. 133/4 Inside the ink-black bottle is a scent based on raw, smoky vetiver from Haiti and Réunion, with a subtler, tangy element imparted by a derivative of the same plant's root.
Phrases
P1. to get (also take, pick up) the scent and variants: to detect or identify the scent trail of a quarry. to have the (also a) scent: to have identified (and be following) such a trail. Frequently with of. Also figurative and in figurative contexts (see sense 2b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > [verb (transitive)] > track or perceive using sense of smell
i-stinkc1000
smellc1175
smakec1220
feelc1225
asmellc1320
savoura1382
scenta1425
winda1425
get1530
vent1575
nose1577
smell1608
resent1614
snuff1697
to get (also take, pick up) the scent1723
to carry scent1753
find1827
snuffle1871
flair1919
the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > finding or discovery > find or discover [verb (transitive)] > detect > (as) by smelling
smellc1380
smell?1548
scent?1553
outsmella1563
nosea1637
to get (also take, pick up) the scent1723
snuff1790
besmell1803
sniff1864
snuffle1871
c1422They hadden a sent Of the lady [see sense 2a].
1574 J. Baret Aluearie O 115 To vent or open as an hounde or spaniel doth when he hath the scent of any thing.
1599I took sent [see sense 2b]. 1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 152 There be some againe which..take vp any false scent for the truth.
1659 P. Heylyn Certamen Epistolare 365 Having taken up the scent, he hunts it over all his Book with great noise and violence.
1673 R. Honywood tr. B. Nani Hist. Republick of Venice vi. 242 Nor was the business so secretly carried betwixt the two Kings, but that the Princes Confederate with France had a scent of it.
1703 Mirth & Wisdom 13 A Detractor is one of a cunning and active Genius, a Fellow that would have no body esteem'd but himself, yet like a Hound in a Fault, takes the wrong Scent, in pursuit after a Reputation.
1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 61 He had got a Scent of it.
1794 W. Beaumont tr. J.-J. Barthélemy Trav. Anacharsis (ed. 2) IV. xxxix. 4 The huntsman let loose one of the dogs, and as soon as he perceived he had taken the scent, uncoupled the others.
1833 Court Mag. Oct. 156/1 The too sure bloodhound..took up the scent..and advanced in the same track Pierre had crawled away.
1841 Albion 1 May 156/2 Such an account was, of course, very unsatisfactory to the gossips. Curiosity ran to and fro, with her tongue out like a hound, to pick up the scent.
1884 L. J. Jennings in Croker Papers I. iii. 77 The police..had got scent of the intended affray.
1930 Z. Fitzgerald in College Humor Apr. 50/2 She stood on the curb like a fine, highbred hunter picking up a cosmic scent on the early winter night.
1954 J. Corbett Temple Tiger 20 The bear had got the scent of flesh and blood, mingled with the scent of tiger.
1999 Ottawa Citizen (Nexis) 5 Oct. a9 By the time police took up the scent, all the victims were either cremated or buried.
2008 D. A. Suffolk Boundary Stone & Bounders 206 Binky..was growling furiously because he had a scent of those impudent rabbits again.
P2. to lose the scent.
a. To be unable to locate or follow the scent trail of a quarry. Also figurative and in figurative contexts.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > hunting with hounds > work done by hounds > action of hounds [phrase] > lose the track
to lose the scent1567
1567 T. Stapleton Counterblast i. xvi. f. 60v The Foxe..when he is sore driuen, wil craftely mount from the earth and kepe himself a while vpon the eather of a hedge, only to cause the howndes that drawe after him to leese the sente of the tracte.
1645 J. Ricraft Looking Glasse for Anabaptists 11 To fill up your pages with other rabble, in which you hope the Reader might quite lose the sent of that question.
1746 Tricks of Town laid Open vii. 31 You see, Sir, how naturally all these Beasts of Prey hunt a Country Squire, and..they seldom lose the Scent till they have set him up.
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth I. vii. 180 ‘Thou hast lost the scent,’ said Varney, ‘of thy comrade Tressilian.’
1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. Over-run, the hounds are said to over-run the scent, when they continue running past a point where the hare or fox turned off, and thus have lost the scent.
1913 Rotarian Apr. 23/1 Johnny Evers, the quick-thinking second baseman..was snapping and snarling like an angry dog who had lost the scent of an elusive hare.
1953 Life 26 Oct. 59 The dog soon lost the scent and the chase was abandoned.
2009 J. Kellerman True Detectives xiv. 132 The FBI had traced the couple to LA, then lost the scent.
b. Of a quarry: to reduce, disguise, or cover one's scent trail in some way, esp. by passing through water.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > thing hunted or game > action of game > [verb (intransitive)] > baffle the hounds
to run (or take) the foil1601
to run upon the foil1601
to lose the scent1682
1682 T. Long Contin. & Vindic. Def. Dr. Stillingfleet's Unreasonableness of Separation i. 2 The works and doublings of a Hare, when she is near run down, to lose the Scent.
1730 J. Thomson Autumn in Seasons 147 Oft in the full-descending flood he [sc. the stag] tries To lose the scent.
1892 C. B. Beach Youth's Cycl. I. 507/1 Hare, they show great cunning when pursued, doubling on their track, making long leaps and swimming streams to lose the scent and baffle the dogs that are following them.
1983 M. Huskisson Outfoxed i. 19 Tired foxes will often run through a field of farm animals or into gardens in a desperate attempt to lose their scent.
P3. in (also on, upon) full scent: intent upon, or close in, pursuit of a quarry. Formerly also without preposition in the same sense. Also figurative and in figurative contexts.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > excitement > [adverb] > in a state of excitement
agogc1450
up1470
full scent1614
atop of the house?1651
astir1837
a-seethe1879
above oneself1890
1614 T. Adams Diuells Banket iv. 140 [The Gallant] is following his lusts, full sent and full crie.
1659 J. Shirley Honoria & Mammon i. i. 7 Pageants, which your Senators Ride after in full scent.
1700 F. Manning Generous Choice ii. i. 14 Their guard of Watchmen are upon the hunt... The dogs are upon full scent, and I shall be finely mumbled if I stay here.
1760 G. Cockings War iii. 89 As when fierce tygers roar amid the wood, Hunting for prey, full scent on human blood.
1806 T. Holcroft Tales in Verse I. 161 Bob's at the bar, acquires a name..but keeps intrigue Hunting, full scent, by night or day, Up the back stairs, or any way.
1872 T. Yelverton Zanita xxiii. 24 I have heard the sharp excited cry of the fox-hounds on full scent in the English hunting field.
1930 S. M. Kootz Mod. Amer. Painters p. vii The patrioteers are in full scent for some one to tag with the title The Great American Painter.
1989 Jrnl. Politics 51 171 A portrait of the [Nixon] impeachment investigation as a pack of hunting hounds in full scent after the quarry.
P4.
a. to put (formerly also †lay) (a dog) on the scent and variants: to set (a dog, esp. a hound) to follow a scent trail; to introduce a scent to (a dog) in order to enable it to follow a trail. Frequently figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > hunting with hounds > hunt with hounds [verb (transitive)] > put on scent
re-lay1590
to put (formerly also lay) (a dog) on the scenta1616
to lay on1655
put1673
to throw in1686
to cast hounds1781
lay1781
to throw on1815
a1616 J. Smith Expos. Creed (1632) i. 15 Put a hound upon a sent, and although we see nothing, yet the hound will follow the sent.
1688 G. Burnet Ill Effects Animosities Protestants 13 Whensoever the Papists & their Royal Patrens stood detected of having been conspiring against our Religion & Civil Liberties, all was diverted & stiffled by putting the Kingdom upon a false scent, and by hounding out their Beagles upon the Nonconformists.
1711 Spectator No. 116. ⁋5 He immediately called in the Dogs, and put them upon the Scent.
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison IV. xxxvi. 251 We have been in pursuit of them two days; for they gave out, in order, no doubt, to put us on a wrong scent, that they were to go to Antwerp.
1781 W. Cowper Expostulation 520 Thy soldiery, the Pope's well-managed pack..when he laid them on the scent of blood, Would hunt a Saracen through fire and flood.
1803 W. Taplin Sporting Dict. 86 The hounds, who are waiting at some distance..are capped forward, and laid upon the scent.
1856 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports 59/2 Let him be put on the scent of pheasants.., and let him rout them about well for a few minutes.
1870 Sydney Morning Herald 1 July 5/3 Liquids of a more potent sort were sold to customers who..were not likely to put the police on the scent of a sly grog shop.
1882 A. Ainger C. Lamb vi. 116 Lamb had a love of..putting his readers on a false scent.
1925 Pop. Mech. Dec. 916/1 The hound can be put on the scent while it is still fresh and undisturbed by vehicles, the police themselves, or sightseers attracted to the scene of the crime.
1958 J. Cleugh tr. R. Jungk Brighter than Thousand Suns xii. 199 They were put on the wrong scent by the head of the Manhattan District press agency, Jim Moynahan, who sent the false information that a munitions depot had blown up in the Alamogordo region.
2005 Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wisconsin) (Nexis) 2 Jan. (Outdoors section) 10 b This allows you to find bobcat tracks that are not too old and to put the dogs on the scent.
b. to throw (also put) off the scent: to cause (a dog or other animal) to lose the scent trail of a quarry. Frequently figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > incorrect information > report or state wrongly [verb (transitive)] > lead into error, mislead
dwellc888
forlereOE
beleada1000
forleseOE
misteachOE
undergoc1000
mislearOE
misleadOE
bicharrea1100
bedwelec1205
overlead?c1225
misbihedec1300
miswendc1325
misguyc1375
miscounsel1389
misbeleadc1390
faitc1430
miswrest?a1475
misguide1480
scandalize1538
misadvise1548
misdraw1599
misdirect1603
traduce1613
to throw (also put) off the scenta1637
misswaya1640
undirect1647
mislight1648
widdlea1689
a1637 B. Jonson Under-woods 179 in Wks. (1640) III Speaking worst of those, from whom they went But then, fist fill'd to put me off the sent.
1819 T. Hope Anastasius III. xiii. 351 With only such few windings as were necessary to throw the blood-hounds off the scent, [I] made for the beacon.
1826 J. F. Cooper Last of Mohicans I. 213 I can hide you, so that all the devil's hounds in Montcalm's pay would be thrown off the scent for months to come.
1857 J. W. Marsh Mem. A. F. Gardiner vii. 212 A fresh coat of tar was put on the canvas, and thus the dogs were put off the scent.
1899 Westm. Gaz. 18 Aug. 3/1 ‘Soiling’, or taking water, less frequently results in throwing hounds off the scent.
1908 G. K. Chesterton Man who was Thursday vii. 133 In that labyrinth of little streets he could soon throw him off the scent.
1968 I. Murdoch Nice & Good (1974) xxvii. 235 She was a person to be manipulated and deceived and put off the scent.
2003 K. Cage & M. Evans Gayle: Lang. Kinks & Queens Gloss. 95 Smoke screen, a woman..who is used by a closeted gay man as a partner at straight functions to throw people off the scent that he is gay.
2012 N. Cawthorne Canine Commandos iii. 100 Smoke from a fire burning under the floors put the dogs off the scent.
P5. to carry (a or the) scent. Now somewhat rare.
a. Of a dog (esp. a hound): to follow a scent trail.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > [verb (transitive)] > track or perceive using sense of smell
i-stinkc1000
smellc1175
smakec1220
feelc1225
asmellc1320
savoura1382
scenta1425
winda1425
get1530
vent1575
nose1577
smell1608
resent1614
snuff1697
to get (also take, pick up) the scent1723
to carry scent1753
find1827
snuffle1871
flair1919
the world > food and drink > hunting > hunting with hounds > work done by hounds > action of hounds [phrase] > retain scent
to carry scent1753
1753 Country Gentleman's Compan. II. i. 10 The slower Dogs carrying the Scent ever before them, keep your Horse to a continual Labour.
1832 Q. Rev. Mar. 219 The scent being seldom sufficient to enable the hound to carry it up to his [sc. the fox's] kennel.
a1864 R. S. Surtees Mr. Facey Romford's Hounds (1865) 42 All eyes strained to see the Invincibles carry the scent over the road. Beautiful! beautiful! were there ever such hounds?
1908 Washington Post 5 Dec. 9 The hounds gave tongue, striking a fresh trail and carrying the scent for many miles.
1977 J. N. P. Watson Bk. of Foxhunting 220 Those hounds which are actually working out with their noses the fox's line when the pack is running are said to ‘carry the scent’.
b. Of ground: to retain the scent of a quarry in such a way as to enable it to be followed.
ΚΠ
1878 ‘Brooksby’ Hunting Countries i. 8 The surrounding country being strongly fenced, and carrying a good scent, a bad hunter is of little use here.
1914 T. W. Burgess Mother West Wind's Children iv. 67 She knew that stones do not carry the scent well, and that Bowser the Hound would have hard work to smell her on the stone wall.
1930 Earl Bathurst in C. Frederick et al. Foxhunting ii. 34 The fox..knows roads seldom carry scent and he makes use of them when the opportunity occurs.
Compounds
C1.
a. Objective, as scent following, †scent-snuffing, scent-tracking, etc., adjectives.
ΚΠ
1593 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis sig. Eijv For there his smell with others being mingled, The hot sent-snuffing hounds are driuen to doubt. View more context for this quotation
1771 H. Clarke tr. Æsop Select Fables cxiv. 81 The Swine laughed at the Scent-following Dog.
1849 E. Bulwer-Lytton King Arthur (new ed.) I. 143 Hounds..had ‘scent-tracking noses’ to find the deer in their coverts.
1993 Telegram & Gaz. (Worcester, Mass.) 13 Dec. b2 A scent-sniffing dog from the Auburn Police Department tracked Fenner to a nearby bar, where he was arrested.
2007 A. Tan Creativity xxi. 393 Scent following behaviour, trail marking behaviour, and all other behavioural rules for ants depended wholly on..pheromones.
b. Instrumental, as scent-filled, scent-infused, scent-laden, etc., adjectives.
ΚΠ
1836 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 39 816/1 Spring Held aye a year-long blossoming; And never shed their leaf the trees, Nor failed their fruit, and still the breeze Blew soft, scent-laden from the fields.
1948 Nation's Business Apr. 50/1 New fashions are being plotted in the scent-filled rooms of Parisian ateliers.
1995 P. Damien & K. Damien Aromatherapy iv. 109 Some peculiar consumer goods are also being manufactured..scent-infused pantyhose.
2012 Birmingham Post (Nexis) 28 June 16 The greenhouses, where the next generation of glorious scent-laden roses is being tenderly crafted.
C2. † scent bean n. Obsolete an aromatic bean carried with the snuff in a snuffbox.† scent-strong adj. Obsolete rare having an acute sense of smell.
scent ball n. a ball of aromatic substances, usually carried in a case; a pomander.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fragrance > perfume making > [noun] > container
musk ball1423
puff1436
casting-glass1544
perfuming pan1558
perfumer1591
pouncet-box1598
perfumier1601
sweet-bag1615
casting-bottle1638
perfuming pota1650
musk bag1687
smelling-bottle1722
scent-bottle1765
scent box1777
vinaigrette1811
scent jar1813
scent bag1816
scent ball1832
pouncet1843
scent casket1845
pot-pourri jar1848
cassolette1851
scent sachet1856
scent spray1858
lavender drawer1863
lavender bag1865
odorator1890
pot-pourri bowl1904
lavender sachet1938
1832 H. Pemble in Quinti Horatii Flacci Opera 237/2 (note) Small pills or balls—scent-balls; or, perhaps, something in the way of lozenge to sweeten the breath.
1865 T. Wright Hist. Caricature & Grotesque xiii. 224 One folle femme..is buying a pomander, or, as we should perhaps now say, a scent-ball.
1936 Amer. Home Feb. 42/1 The delightful custom of using pomanders and scent balls, with cloves as the chief ingredient, died out over a century ago.
2009 N. Arrowsmith Essent. Herbal Wisdom 187 Amateur perfumers may want to add essential flower oils, vanilla powder, musk, ground cloves, and gum benzoin and benzoin tincture to enhance the odor and keeping abilities of the scent balls.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fragrance > [noun] > fragrant substance or perfume > plants and extracts used for
roseeOE
nardusOE
nardOE
lavendera1300
spikenardc1350
piste?1440
orris root1598
bainilla1678
amberseed1728
vanilla1728
ambrette1745
vanell1790
tonka bean1796
scent bean1822
muguet1830
lemon-grass1837
vanillea1845
sweet pea1890
snuff-bean1898
oak moss1921
tea olive1952
1822 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage to Land of Burns 129 Their mouths were dry as snuff-boxes, and their tongues rattled therein like unto scent beans.
1870 E. Kellogg Ark Elm Island xv. 280 What a thing it is, that people like Captain Rhines should have that courage given them to go through so much, to bring us molasses, tea, coffee, silks, satins, and scent-beans to put in our snuff.
1893 Hampshire Tel. & Sussex Chron. 1 July 12/1 ‘It's grandpa's snuff,’ said Dilly. ‘There's the scent bean in it.’
scent-bottle n. a bottle containing or designed to contain scent; esp. a small ornamental bottle used for carrying perfume or smelling salts; perfume bottle n. at perfume n. Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fragrance > perfume making > [noun] > container
musk ball1423
puff1436
casting-glass1544
perfuming pan1558
perfumer1591
pouncet-box1598
perfumier1601
sweet-bag1615
casting-bottle1638
perfuming pota1650
musk bag1687
smelling-bottle1722
scent-bottle1765
scent box1777
vinaigrette1811
scent jar1813
scent bag1816
scent ball1832
pouncet1843
scent casket1845
pot-pourri jar1848
cassolette1851
scent sachet1856
scent spray1858
lavender drawer1863
lavender bag1865
odorator1890
pot-pourri bowl1904
lavender sachet1938
1765 Gazetteer & New Daily Advertiser 15 Mar. (advt.) 2 Glass Scent Bottles.
1856 C. M. Yonge Daisy Chain i. xxv. 262 She flew for the scent-bottle, while her father bent over Margaret.
1930 T. S. Eliot tr. ‘St.-J. Perse’ Anabasis 37 And a man strode forth at the threshold of the desert—profession of his father: dealer in scent-bottles.
2010 Independent 15 Mar. 35/2 A Tiffany scent-bottle bought for a song made a fortune at Sotheby's.
scent box n. (a) a box for scent; esp. a small ornamental box used for carrying (bottles of) perfume or smelling salts; †(b) Boxing slang the nose (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fragrance > perfume making > [noun] > container
musk ball1423
puff1436
casting-glass1544
perfuming pan1558
perfumer1591
pouncet-box1598
perfumier1601
sweet-bag1615
casting-bottle1638
perfuming pota1650
musk bag1687
smelling-bottle1722
scent-bottle1765
scent box1777
vinaigrette1811
scent jar1813
scent bag1816
scent ball1832
pouncet1843
scent casket1845
pot-pourri jar1848
cassolette1851
scent sachet1856
scent spray1858
lavender drawer1863
lavender bag1865
odorator1890
pot-pourri bowl1904
lavender sachet1938
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > nose > [noun]
noseeOE
naseeOE
nebeOE
billa1000
nesec1175
grunyie?a1513
gnomon1582
nib1585
proboscis1631
handle to (also of, on) one's face1675
snot-gall1685
nozzle1689
bowsprit1690
smeller1699
snitch1699
trunk1699
vessel1813
index1817
conk1819
sneezer1820
scent box1826
snorter1829
snuff-box1829
bugle1847
beak1854
nasal1854
sniffer1858
boko1859
snoot1861
snorer1891
horn1893
spectacles-seat1895
razzo1899
beezer1915
schnozzle1926
schnozzola1929
schnozz1930
snozzle1930
honker1942
hooter1958
1777 Stowe: Descr. House & Gardens (new ed.) (end matter) (advt.) Variety of Smelling-Bottles, Scent-Boxes, Snuff-Boxes, Patch-Boxes, &c.
1826 Sporting Mag. 18 315 Pat napped him on the scent-box.
1836 Age 5 June 183/3 (advt.) The Patent is applicable to every description of Toilet Furniture, from the pill-box or soap-box, to a..scent-box, &c.
1857 Bell's Life in London 15 Feb. 6/4 Tom sent in a stiffener on the scent-box, receiving a right-hander on the left lug.
1935 O. Sitwell & M. Barton Brighton xvi. 274 She would provide herself with two or three cashmere shawls, an urn, a scent box, a lyre and a tambourine.
2011 Grimsby Tel. (Nexis) 2 Feb. 19 There was a real mixture of items—gold and silverware, a magnificent pair of coach lamps, tinplate toys and a beautiful Victorian scent box with all the perfumes intact inside.
scent casket n. a box used for storing or transporting (bottles of) perfume.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fragrance > perfume making > [noun] > container
musk ball1423
puff1436
casting-glass1544
perfuming pan1558
perfumer1591
pouncet-box1598
perfumier1601
sweet-bag1615
casting-bottle1638
perfuming pota1650
musk bag1687
smelling-bottle1722
scent-bottle1765
scent box1777
vinaigrette1811
scent jar1813
scent bag1816
scent ball1832
pouncet1843
scent casket1845
pot-pourri jar1848
cassolette1851
scent sachet1856
scent spray1858
lavender drawer1863
lavender bag1865
odorator1890
pot-pourri bowl1904
lavender sachet1938
1845 Times 31 Jan. 3 Lot 696, a satinwood scent casket, a ditto with four bottles, a glass pen tray, and a soap-stone cat.
1961 Burlington Mag. Nov. p. xlix A Louis XV gold and mother-of-pearl scent casket.
1982 Financial Times 3 Apr. 7/3 There are also scent caskets and pencil boxes in a similar style.
scent dog n. a dog used to find or follow a scent; a dog that hunts by sense of smell.
ΚΠ
1721 A. Ramsay Poems I. 15 (note) In Allusion to a scent Dog.
1894 S. R. Crockett Raiders 29 Nosing them for myself like a Scent-Dog after birds.
2009 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 4 Nov. a1/3 A 2004 report by the F.B.I. states that use of scent dogs, properly conducted, ‘has become a proven tool that can establish a connection to the crime’.
scent-free adj. (a) free of odour or smells; (b) unscented; (also) of or relating to a place where perfume, cologne, etc., is not permitted to be worn.
ΚΠ
1652 G. Fidge Great Eater Grayes-Inne ii. 4 His Client..resolved to endure the Plague of the house,..and so with Nose not Scent-free, he enters the inchanted Castle.
1920 Hunter-Trader-Trapper Apr. 106/1 It is more difficult to keep a rusty trap scent-free than a clean one.
1921 Chron.-Telegram (Elyria, Ohio) 27 Mar. 2/6 When an article is properly perfumed, it is scented for life. Never will the delicate threads be entirely scent free.
1991 Gaz. (Quebec) (Nexis) 28 Sept. b5 Someone who wanted to operate a pig farm beside a quiet, scent-free residential suburb could argue that zoning laws infringed on his right to enjoy his property.
1993 Advertiser (Adelaide) (Nexis) 29 May Thanks to smoke-free zones being established in most public places, the push is on for scent-free zones. The idea is to prevent people sensitive or allergic to chemicals, such as perfume and aftershave, from being adversely affected by others.
2004 S. Perich & M. Furman Whitetail Hunting 97/2 On the day of the hunt, you should wash with scent-free soap and shampoo.
scent gland n. Zoology a gland which secretes a pheromone or other odoriferous substance, typically for the purpose of marking territory, attracting a mate, or self-defence.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > substance or secretion and excretion > [noun] > scent-gland
scent bag1677
scent gland1683
scent organ1817
scent scale1893
1683 E. Tyson in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 13 377 Those scent-bags, or scent-glands, I have formerly mentioned to be in other Animals.
1866 R. Owen On Anat. Vertebr. I. 615 [During the breeding-season] the anal scent-glands are in active function in both groups [sc. lizards and serpents].
2000 New Scientist 1 July 13/1 Abundant in nature, the pyrazine also turns up in the scent glands of beavers, coyote urine and rabbit faeces.
scent holder n. a container for scent, esp. a container for aromatic substances or bottles of perfume.
ΚΠ
1843 R. S. Surtees Handley Cross iii. xi. 255 Her friends..made her..bags, slippers, scent-'olders.
1980 B. Cartland Ola & Sea Wolf iv. 68 A beautiful chinoiserie enamel scent-holder..contained three little bottles shaped like triangles so that they fitted together.
1987 Field & Stream Sept. 150 (advt.) Dr. O's Deer Scent. Unique scent comes with a special Dr. O's tee pad scent holder.
2000 D. Haeger Secret Wife King George IV v. 136 George tossed a huge scent holder, shaped like a Chinese Buddha, across the room, smashing it against a satinwood table.
scent hound n. a hound used to find or follow a scent; a hound that hunts by sense of smell; = scent dog n.; cf. line-hunter n. at line n.2 Compounds 2.
ΚΠ
1793 Anthologia Hibernica Feb. 121/1 Canis veltris, or scent hound.
1840 P. H. Gosse Canad. Naturalist 271 It is no uncommon thing for deer, when pursued by scent-hounds, to leap aside from their course into a thicket, in hopes of lying concealed till the dogs pass by.
1912 J. B. Thomas Observ. Borzoi ii. 22 There were human beaters and scent-hounds finding the game.
2012 Independent 14 Dec. 7/3 As a scent hound the Beagle has few equals.
scent jar n. an ornamental vase or jar, usually with a perforated top, in which aromatic substances may be placed to perfume a room.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fragrance > perfume making > [noun] > container
musk ball1423
puff1436
casting-glass1544
perfuming pan1558
perfumer1591
pouncet-box1598
perfumier1601
sweet-bag1615
casting-bottle1638
perfuming pota1650
musk bag1687
smelling-bottle1722
scent-bottle1765
scent box1777
vinaigrette1811
scent jar1813
scent bag1816
scent ball1832
pouncet1843
scent casket1845
pot-pourri jar1848
cassolette1851
scent sachet1856
scent spray1858
lavender drawer1863
lavender bag1865
odorator1890
pot-pourri bowl1904
lavender sachet1938
1813 Bury & Norwich Post 14 Apr. 1/2 A few large single Vases and neat Scent Jars.
1832 G. R. Porter Treat. Manuf. Porcelain & Glass 22 A scent-jar, forty-four inches high... The scent is allowed to escape through hexagonal openings in the neck.
1905 Penny Illustr. Paper 18 Nov. 315/2 (heading) A novel scent jar.
2005 Augusta (Georgia) Chron. (Nexis) 27 Feb. e3 Some might call it a potpourri jar, others a rose jar, and still others a scent jar... The flowers would emit their fragrance and perfume a room.
scent organ n. Entomology and Zoology an organ that secretes scent; cf. scent gland n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > substance or secretion and excretion > [noun] > scent-gland
scent bag1677
scent gland1683
scent organ1817
scent scale1893
1817 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. II. xxi. 245 Another insect..furnished with osmateria, or scent-organs.
1934 Jrnl. Mammalogy 15 322 It may be these glands function as scent organs, which are useful, or necessary, during breeding activities [of ground squirrels].
2001 G. C. McGavin Essent. Entomol. 245 Males may have inflatable scent organs called coremata, which can be everted during courtship.
scent sachet n. a small bag or packet with aromatic contents, intended to be placed among articles of clothes or carried about the person.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fragrance > perfume making > [noun] > container
musk ball1423
puff1436
casting-glass1544
perfuming pan1558
perfumer1591
pouncet-box1598
perfumier1601
sweet-bag1615
casting-bottle1638
perfuming pota1650
musk bag1687
smelling-bottle1722
scent-bottle1765
scent box1777
vinaigrette1811
scent jar1813
scent bag1816
scent ball1832
pouncet1843
scent casket1845
pot-pourri jar1848
cassolette1851
scent sachet1856
scent spray1858
lavender drawer1863
lavender bag1865
odorator1890
pot-pourri bowl1904
lavender sachet1938
1856 Lady's Newspaper 1 Nov. 280 This elegant and novel scent sachet.
1904 E. Nesbit Phoenix & Carpet xii. 232 A little scent sachet labelled ‘Violettes de Parme’.
2013 S. Powell Song in Night 28 Her nimble fingers retrieved a scent sachet from her bosom.
scent scale n. Entomology = androconium n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > substance or secretion and excretion > [noun] > scent-gland
scent bag1677
scent gland1683
scent organ1817
scent scale1893
1893 Amer. Naturalist 27 1019 This gives the scent scale the appearance of a small rod placed in a flask.
1945 Lima (Ohio) News 8 Feb. 17/2 Many tropical butterflies..produce a very exquisite perfume, presumably from andraconia [sic] or scent scales on the wings.
2011 D. L. Wagner et al. Owlet Caterpillars of Eastern North Amer. 60 The antennae, legs, and mouthparts may bear scent scales.
scent spray n. a scent bottle with an atomizer that delivers scent in a fine spray or mist; cf. perfume spray n. at perfume n. Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fragrance > perfume making > [noun] > container
musk ball1423
puff1436
casting-glass1544
perfuming pan1558
perfumer1591
pouncet-box1598
perfumier1601
sweet-bag1615
casting-bottle1638
perfuming pota1650
musk bag1687
smelling-bottle1722
scent-bottle1765
scent box1777
vinaigrette1811
scent jar1813
scent bag1816
scent ball1832
pouncet1843
scent casket1845
pot-pourri jar1848
cassolette1851
scent sachet1856
scent spray1858
lavender drawer1863
lavender bag1865
odorator1890
pot-pourri bowl1904
lavender sachet1938
1858 B. Mitchell Diary 1 June in Blanche (1980) 87 I put into a shilling lottery and got a scent spray, and a mask.
1897 Daily News 9 July 6/3 A silver and Venetian glass scent spray.
2007 Atlanta Dec. 1 (advt.) Our holiday set for her includes a 2.5-oz. Scent Spray and 3 great lip glosses.
ΚΠ
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. i. v. 175 The sent-strong Swallow [Fr. la flairante Arondelle] sweepeth too and fro.
1658 N. Billingsley Κοσμοβρεϕια: Infancy of World 34 The scent-strong Vulter in his flight most slow.
scent trail n. the trail of odour left by an animal, person, etc., esp. as tracked or followed by an animal; spec. one which is deliberately created, esp. for hounds to follow.
ΚΠ
1860 Bury & Norwich Post 28 Aug. The hounds will run by a scent trail over the course, which will be so divided that the canine racers cannot run upon that of the horses.
1881 Mind 6 467 It must be to them what the scent-trail of a hare is to the dog.
1954 J. Corbett Temple Tiger 122 The tiger had laid a two-mile-long scent trail.
1990 Sci. News 19 May 313/3 Ants that can..even leave their own ‘scent trails’ to help fellow colonists find a food source.
2012 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 7 Apr. f3 Many hunts in Britain continue to operate, by using a ‘scent trail’ instead of chasing live foxes.
scent tuft n. Entomology a brush-like scent gland present in various species of butterfly and moth.
ΚΠ
1878 Trans. Entomol. Soc. London 26 p. lxxxiv Erebus odorus, specimen from Jamaica showing ‘scent-tufts’.
1972 M. Jacobson Insect Sex Pheromones iii. 64 The absence of these scent tufts in the male may prevent mating.
2011 G. Gordh & D. Headrick Dict. Entomol. (ed. 2) 361/1 Cormea, specialized scent-tufts near apex of Abdomen of certain male Lepidoptera.
scent vase n. = scent jar n.
ΚΠ
1818 Morning Post 10 June 4/1 Scent Vases, Cut Glass, Table and Bed Linen, &c.
1900 Derby Mercury 14 Mar. 3/4 The following is a list of the presents:—Mr. and Mrs. Beardmore, dinner service..Miss Summers, tumblers and water jug; Mrs. Fletcher, scent vase.
2004 Financial Times 16 Oct. Suppl. 49 Hand-blown Scent Vase (about 53cm high).
scentwood n. now rare a Tasmanian evergreen shrub, Alyxia buxifolia (family Apocynaceae); the fragrant wood of this tree; cf. tonka-bean wood n. at tonka n. 2.
ΚΠ
1863 Technologist 3 67 Scent-wood of Tasmania..is a small tree or shrub, and consequently does not produce wood of any great size.
1872 Art-Jrnl. 1 Sept. 238/1 The scent-wood of the same island..has an odour similar to that of the tonquin-bean.
1905 J. C. Penny Tasmanian Forestry §vii. 45 Scentwood... Apocyneæ... Alyxia buxifolia.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2015; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
scentv.
/sɛnt/, U.S. /sɛnt/ I. To apprehend or perceive, esp. by means of smell.† 1. transitive. To discern or perceive (a thing) by sensation or feeling. Also occasionally intransitive. Cf. scent n. 1a. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > perceive [verb (transitive)]
acknowOE
keepc1000
feelOE
findOE
seeOE
yknowc1275
apperceivec1300
descrivec1300
knowc1300
perceivec1330
taste1340
tellc1390
catcha1398
scenta1398
devisea1400
kena1400
concernc1425
descrya1450
henta1450
apprehend1577
scerne1590
to take in1637
discreevec1650
recognize1795
absorb1840
embrace1852
cognizea1856
cognosce1874
the world > food and drink > hunting > hunting with hounds > work done by hounds > action of hounds [verb (intransitive)] > strike scent
scenta1398
find1565
hit it off1704
to hit off a fault1749
to hit off the line1977
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 20v (MED) Þe soule..is I-nempned..spiritus dum spirat, breeþ, sensus dum senteþ, feliþ [L. Sensus dum aliquid sentit].
1561 J. Heywood tr. Seneca Hercules Furens iii. sig. H6 Sownde sent out he soone perceyues in his applyed eare, Who euen the sprights is woont to sent [L. sentire].
1586 T. Bright Treat. Melancholie xix. 119 Soules haue sense of thinges without organicall senses: and when they be but fancies, yet that which ministreth the obiect..is sented with the mind only.
1623 C. Butler Feminine Monarchie (rev. ed.) i. sig. B4 Hir horns..are the proper organum of the sense of feeling; by which, with the least touch, the Bee sodainely senteth any tangible object.
2.
a. transitive. To perceive, notice, or recognize by sense of smell; esp. (of a hound or other animal) to find or discern the scent or scent trail of; to track by sense of smell.In quot. a14252, intransitive with of.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > [verb (transitive)] > track or perceive using sense of smell
i-stinkc1000
smellc1175
smakec1220
feelc1225
asmellc1320
savoura1382
scenta1425
winda1425
get1530
vent1575
nose1577
smell1608
resent1614
snuff1697
to get (also take, pick up) the scent1723
to carry scent1753
find1827
snuffle1871
flair1919
the world > food and drink > hunting > hunting with hounds > work done by hounds > action of hounds [verb (transitive)] > follow scent or trail
scenta1425
run1593
drag1773
road1841
quest1842
a1425 Edward, Duke of York Master of Game (Digby) i. 14 Whan hares be ygete with the kynde of a conynge..the houndes lust nor sentith hem nought so wele.
a1425 Edward, Duke of York Master of Game (Digby) ii. 22 And he shall kepe hym..always in þe myddell of the water for cause that the houndes shall not sent of hym.
1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie xl. 117 By that time he haue gone .xx. or .xxx. paces, the Slot is better, and the hounds shall sent him much better.
1603 W. Shakespeare Hamlet i. v. 58 Ghost But soft, me thinkes I sent the mornings ayre, briefe let me be.
1762 W. Kenrick tr. J.-J. Rousseau Emilius & Sophia I. 295 Dogs are used to scent the game.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth III. 288 The Setter, that crouches down when it scents the birds, till the net be drawn over them.
1834 T. Pringle Afr. Sketches ix. 307 Our oxen had scented the water at a distance.
1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 295 Like vultures scenting their prey afar.
1925 Cent. Mag. Jan. 397/1 Three wolf-dogs, scenting the blood, came out from under the snow.
2002 J. Cunliffe Encycl. Dog Breeds (new ed.) 153/1 The elkhound..[has] the ability to scent an elk or a bear from as much as three miles distant.
b. transitive. figurative. To perceive or discover as if by smell; to detect or discern instinctively or from subtle indications; to intuit. Cf. smell v. 5.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > finding or discovery > find or discover [verb (transitive)] > detect > (as) by smelling
smellc1380
smell?1548
scent?1553
outsmella1563
nosea1637
to get (also take, pick up) the scent1723
snuff1790
besmell1803
sniff1864
snuffle1871
?1553 Respublica (1952) i. iii. 6 Nowe a wheale on suche noses..That so quicklye canne sente where hidden golde dothe lye.
a1640 J. Fletcher & P. Massinger Double Marriage i. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Cccc4v/2 Fer. Is Virolet in [the conspiracy]? Ron. The head of all: he onely scented me; and, from his fear that I play'd false, is fled.
1654 J. Cleveland Idol of Clownes (new ed.) 26 Some of the Table more willing to venture the King than themselves..perhaps not senting the designe of the Clownes [sc. the people of the Kentish and Essexian rout].
1776 Congratulatory Poem Successes Brit. Arms 8 Cold and hunger purify the brains, With skill to scent advantage from afar.
1833 I. Taylor Fanaticism ii. 26 The religious classes who..will scent a heresy in every such definition.
1897 L. J. Trotter Life J. Nicholson xix. 227 Chamberlain, scenting possible mischief, made a forced march to Amritsar.
1945 Pop. Photogr. June 67/2 Scenting a new career, max bought a Graflex [camera] identical to the one his friend had loaned him.
1961 B. Crump Hang on a Minute Mate xiii. 149 Fair go? asked Jack, scenting a yarn in Sam's tone.
2012 PC Pro Sept. 96/1 But no, scenting the opportunity for an up-sell, she held out for me to authorise payment.
c. transitive. To search or find out by sense of smell. Frequently figurative and in figurative contexts.
ΚΠ
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones II. iv. i. 5 I much question whether the Politician, who hath generally a good Nose, hath not scented out somewhat of the Utility of this Practice. View more context for this quotation
1762 W. Kenrick tr. J.-J. Rousseau Emilius & Sophia I. 295 If we should educate children, to scent or smell out their dinner [Fr. éventer leur dîner], in the same manner as dogs are used to scent the game, we might possibly bring that sense to the same degree of perfection in men as in dogs.
1836 Knickerbocker 7 98 The quiet, reflecting man—one unwilling to plunge his proboscis into everything—who loveth not to scent out trouble.
1870 ‘A. R. Hope’ My Schoolboy Friends xiv. 182 I thought he would scent us out.
1911 Irish Times 3 Mar. 7 Radical members..are often most keen to scent out the direction of popular opinion.
1989 Guardian (Nexis) 3 Aug. The bigwigs at the British Film Institute..can generally be relied upon to scent out something special.
2014 Doncaster Today (Nexis) 17 Feb. Badger digging involves dogs being released to scent out a badger.
3.
a. intransitive. To breathe in through the nose in order to detect a smell or smells; (esp. of a hound or other animal) to do this for the purpose of locating or pursuing a quarry; to hunt after, for something by sense of smell. Also: to sniff about, around, etc. Frequently figurative and in figurative contexts.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > [verb (intransitive)] > track or perceive using sense of smell
winda1425
vent1538
to keep the wind1594
scent1596
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 20 Another kynde of hunting dog is to sent, of quhilkes sum ar mekle mair than vthir sum.
1598 J. Marston Certaine Satyres in Metamorph. Pigmalions Image 59 But Grillus subtile-smelling swinish snout Must sent, and grunt, and needes will finde it out.
1621 J. Taylor Superbiæ Flagellum sig. D5v Like bloud-hound Curs they daily hunt and sent.
a1641 R. Montagu Acts & Monuments (1642) 20 But at length they began to sent after the Egyptians gods.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost x. 279 So sented the grim Feature, and upturn'd His Nostril wide into the murkie Air. View more context for this quotation
1730 J. Swift Answer Delany's Fable 4 The Hound wou'd scent, the Wolf wou'd prole.
1768 O. Goldsmith Good Natur'd Man iii. 33 There's not a prettyer scout in the four counties after a shy-cock than he. Scents like a hound; sticks like a weazle.
1797 Arminian Mag. Apr. 186 As they scent along the ground, it could be discerned that they turn aside to every stone and stump of a tree.
1833 J. F. Cooper Headsman I. vii. 126 He felt the cold clammy nose of the dog, scenting about his face.
1845 A. Johnson To Freemen of First Congress. District of Tennessee in L. P. Graf & R. W. Haskins Papers of Andrew Johnson (1967) I. 263 You make it your business to go scenting about, and prying into other people's private affairs.
1868 Churchman's Compan. June 510 At night they would prowl round the several buildings, scenting about for enemies, with their noses close to the ground and tails curled stiffly over their backs.
1926 P. Radin tr. S. Blowsnake Crashing Thunder vi. 41 Coyote..was scenting around everywhere for food, for he was very hungry.
1928 J. Galsworthy Swan Song ii. viii, in Mod. Comedy (1929) 662 And all the time, too, the proboscis of her spirit was scenting, searching for the honey and the saffron of his spirit.
1973 Keystone Folklore (Pennsylvania Folklore Soc.) 18 31 He sprang to where I had lain and, scenting around, discovered my trail and bounded to the tree that I was up.
1975 Irish Times 6 Jan. 7 (heading) Scenting for clues in the great sewer hunt.
2007 N. Bartlett Skin Lane xvii. 275 The occasional pause to scent after something that the beast has never, in all its captive life, tasted... Except, of course, that Mr F is no beast.
b. transitive. Chiefly of an animal: to sniff (the air, ground, etc.) in order to detect or assess a smell or scent trail. Also figurative in figurative contexts.
ΚΠ
1846 Chambers' Edinb. Jrnl. 2 May 277/1 He [sc. a terrier] set out, scenting the ground as if he had made some important discovery.
1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. (1856) xxix. 239 A bear and two cubs, that had..been scenting our foot-marks of the day before.
1862 A. W. Drayson Tales at Outspan 224 I saw the elephant, which appeared to be scenting the ground in search of me.
1953 Los Angeles Times 11 Aug. i. 12/3 America's nationwide system for scenting the atmosphere for radioactivity from Nevada tests.
1972 R. Adams Watership Down xxiv. 173 Hazel stopped and then sat up, the better to scent the air.
2010 S. H. Buhner Ensouling Lang. iii. 33 Good poets..are skilled at scenting the wind and they catch the emergence of tiny fragments that duller sensibilities miss.
4. transitive. To smell the odour or perfume of (an object, substance, etc.), esp. appreciatively; to breathe in and savour the fragrance of. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > [verb (transitive)] > exercise the sense of smell
snevec1200
snokec1380
savoura1382
thevea1400
whiff1635
nesea1637
scent1638
venta1640
taste1656
snift1736
sniff1792
olfact1805
to run up1815
smell1831
sniffa1845
snuff1858
smellsip1922
1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 179 Let us goe cent the Caspyan ayre.
?1680 T. Jordan Muses Melody sig. [ ]4 He that can But scent the aire that issues from her fan, Hath happiness enough.
1721 R. Keith tr. Thomas à Kempis Soliloquy of Soul x, in tr. Thomas à Kempis Select Pieces II. 177 I my self have even scented from afar the celestial Spices.
1757 W. Collins Oriental Eclogues iii. 13 Or scent the breathing maze at setting day.
1822 J. M. Good Study Med. III. 255 The refreshment which is felt on scenting the pungent vapour of carbonate of ammonia.
1847 C. A. Johns Forest Trees Great Brit. I. 198 It has never been my lot to scent the aromatic breezes..from the shore of Ceylon.
1860 Florist, Fruitist, & Garden Misc. Jan. 7 If ever I grow aweary, aweary of my leaflessness and clayitude..I gaze again upon the grand Geraniums of Slough; I scent the Roses which brightened up the square.
1889 J. G. M'Pherson Tales of Sci.: Pop. Sci. Papers xxiii. 179 Connoisseurs of wine have as much pleasure in scenting the fine aroma of old port as in swallowing the wine itself.
1988 M. Yoseloff Wednesday Game xi. 78 As he breathed in the scent in the Kevin-Gates laboratory, he..thought of her scenting the fragrance; smiling, nodding in approval.
2003 J. L. Carrell Speckled Monster ii. i. 105 She picks up [the jars], one by one, lifting the lids and scenting the contents..she closes her eyes, breathes in deeply.
II. To give off, or cause to give off, a smell.
5.
a. intransitive. To give off or exude an odour or perfume. Also: to smell of or like something. Also figurative (esp. in early use).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > [verb (intransitive)]
stinkc725
steamOE
smellc1175
smakec1315
savoura1400
taragec1407
flavourc1425
scentc1460
breathea1500
smell1526
c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn l. 2765 This gardeyn is..ful of may flouris,..The wich been so redolent, & sentyn so a-boute.
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball i. xliii. 63 The seede is small and black, and senting like Rosin.
1632 P. Massinger & N. Field Fatall Dowry iv. sig. H2v Season now your youth, With one braue thing, and it shall keep the odour..and on your Tombe, Sent like sweet oyles and Frankincense.
1642 T. Fuller Holy State iv. xvi. 321 Such is the fresh nature of some Embassages, if not spent presently, they sent ill.
1664 R. Hubert Catal. Nat. Rarities 56 A stone that smells only when it is blown on, and the harder one blowes, the stronger it sents.
1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 182 The Fruit when Green scents like Turpentine.
a1746 M. Leapor Poems upon Several Occasions (1751) II. 18 The soft Valet that scented of Perfume.
1828 Examiner 35/1 We cannot touch precious ointment without scenting of smeddam.
1843 tr. A. L. L. de Custine Empire of Czar I. 125 This perfumed Cerberus, for he scented of musk at the distance of a league, released us.
1972 D. Tangye Cottage on Cliff in Great Minack Stories x. 137 We picked the elder flowers on sunny days when they were scenting, and when they were fully opened and the petals were beginning to fall.
2007 L. Robins Maledicte xiv. 130 Gilly could smell Maledicte's skin, scenting faintly of lilac.
b. intransitive. figurative and in extended use: to be suggestive or indicative of something; to have an air of. Cf. smack v.1 2b. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > similarity > be similar [verb (intransitive)]
scent1567
1567 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure II. xxx. f. 354v A law..scenting rather of the barbarous cruelty of the Gothes and Vandales, than of true christians.
1602 S. Patrick tr. I. Gentillet Disc. Wel Governing iii. xxi. 140 Beholde the very words of Commines, speaking of Fortune, which senteth as much of a good man, and a good Christian, as the Maxime of Machiavell tastes of a most wicked Atheist.
1613 W. B. tr. S. Michaelis Admirable Hist. Penitent Woman 40 Hee caused the tenour of the letter to bee changed, saying, that it sented of nothing but of pride and nicenesse.
1700 G. Farquhar Constant Couple i. 2 The very Air of this Park is heathenish, and every Man's Breath I meet scents of Atheism.
1833 C. Lamb Genteel Style in Last Ess. Elia 105 They [sc. Sir William Temple's essays] scent of Nimeguen, and the Hague.
1882 J. S. Lloyd Shadows of Past ix. 81 Whatever the woman was, she was now my brother's wife... Still, somehow, I felt most uncomfortable upon the subject..it scented of mystery.
1926 G. M. Trevelyan Hist. Eng. v. iv. 563 Compared to the Reform agitation of the Yorkshire freeholders ten years before, the new movement was less uncompromisingly British; it scented of America, France and the brotherhood of mankind.
1967 L. Irving Successors ii. v. 121 His flat was crammed with fascinating bric-à-brac that provided plenty of red herrings to divert conversation, if it scented of confidences they were not yet prepared to share with him.
6.
a. transitive. To fill or imbue with a (usually pleasant) odour; to impart a smell to; to perfume.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fragrance > impart perfume [verb (transitive)]
embalm1447
aromatize1480
fumea1483
incense?1504
fumigate1530
perfume1539
suffume1540
scent1567
aromatizate1576
sweetena1586
suffumigate1599
frot1608
inodorate1623
suffite1657
essencificate1658
essence1675
essencify1707
balmify1733
odoriferize1824
fragrance1854
reperfume1885
smeech1897
1567 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure II. xxi. f. 146 All floures & roses were by Titans force constrained to adorne & deck eche gardens & place of pleasure, & with their fragrant smells & odors, to scent the same.
1658 R. Brathwait Age of Apes in Honest Ghost 251 One of those Who scents the street with perfume where he goes.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 115 With smoak of burning Cedar scent thy Walls. View more context for this quotation
1725 W. Broome in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey II. viii. 398 An hundred altars rise, And breathing odours scent the balmy skies.
1792 J. Belknap Hist. New-Hampsh. III. 147 To decoy him, the hunters scent the ground with a drug.
1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) vii. 62 The hundred perfumes of the little flower-garden..scented the air around.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 762 The ointment may be scented with any essential oil.
1928 Pop. Sci. Sept. 71/3 A German merchant of perfumery and toilet waters..even scents the air in front of his shop.
1986 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 13 Jan. a1 [The mink] rubs his chest to scent the ground, establishing the territory as his own.
2009 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 3 June d5/3 Inexpensive plates of lamb, chicken, rice and flatbread, griddled in carts that scent the air with cumin and cinnamon smoke.
b. transitive. To flavour (tea, tobacco, etc.) with an aromatic ingredient.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > seasoning > season [verb (transitive)]
savourc1384
seasonc1400
condimentc1420
powder?c1425
saucea1438
pointa1450
tastea1577
palate1610
scent1655
condite1657
zest1705
kitchen1720
dress1795
flavour1830
to zing up1953
zap1979
1655 E. Terry Voy. E.-India 210 Many other dishes we had, made up in Cakes, of several formes, of the finest of the wheat-flower, mingled with Almonds, and Sugar Candy, whereof some were sented and some not.
1804 B. S. Barton Elements Bot. (new ed.) iii. 305 The Camellia, a shrub very nearly allied to the true Tea, belongs to this class, and its flowers are used by the Chinese for the purpose of scenting Tea.
1920 Pacific Ports Man. 61/1 Some species are used for scenting tobacco.
1994 Guardian (Nexis) 22 Mar. 11 Gramsci is forever fussing about the right kind of needle to darn his socks or how to scent his tobacco.
2004 S. Johnson Pure Silk 173 Putting in a smattering of jasmine petals to scent the tea.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2015; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.c1422
v.a1398- unalphabetical
- unaltarlike
- unalterabilities
- unalterability
- unalterable
- unalterableness
- unalterablenesses
- unalterably
- unalterate
- unalteration
- unaltered
- unaltering
- unalumed
- unamalgamable
- unamalgamated
- unamalgamating
- unamassed
- unamazed
- unambiguities
- unambiguity
- unambiguityes
- unambiguitys
- unambiguous
- unambiguously
- unambition