petrichor
Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- noun The distinctive scent which accompanies the first rain after a long warm dry spell.
- noun The yellow organic oil that yields this scent.
Examples
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The scientific name for the earthy smell after rain is petrichor from the Greek petra, stone + ichor, the liquid that flows in the veins of the Greek gods.
'Quite interesting facts about smell,' The Telegraph, October 6, 2011
Note
The term was coined by two Australian researchers in 1964 for an article in the journal Nature.
