SCENT

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does scent mean? 

• SCENT (noun)
  The noun SCENT has 3 senses:

1. a distinctive odor that is pleasant

2. an odor left in passing by which a person or animal can be traced

3. any property detected by the olfactory system

  Familiarity information: SCENT used as a noun is uncommon.

• SCENT (verb)
  The verb SCENT has 3 senses:

1. cause to smell or be smelly

2. catch the scent of; get wind of

3. apply perfume to

  Familiarity information: SCENT used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SCENT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A distinctive odor that is pleasant

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

aroma; fragrance; perfume; scent

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)

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:

Any property detected by the olfactory system

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

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

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)

• SCENT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they scent    ... he / she / it scents   
Past simple: scented   
Past participle: scented   
-ing form: scenting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause to smell or be smelly

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

odorize; odourise; scent

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)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Catch the scent of; get wind of

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

nose; scent; wind

Context example:

The dog nosed out the drugs

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:

Apply perfume to

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

perfume; scent

Context example:

She perfumes herself every day

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)

 Context examples 

Sights and sounds and scents were familiar to him.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

But the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, not being made of flesh, were not troubled by the scent of the flowers.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

The scented liquid taken from certain plants using steam or pressure.

(Essential oil, NCI Dictionary)

Oh, no, replied the boy, the wild ones have more scent, and will please her better.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

He followed the new scent into a thicket and found Nig.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

Humans can distinguish more than 1 trillion scents, according to new research.

(Humans Can Identify More Than 1 Trillion Smells, NIH, US)

Some use acute scenting powers to follow a trail.

(Hound Breed, NCI Thesaurus)

Esters are found in essential oils (scented oils that come from plants).

(Ester, NCI Dictionary)

I have tried, by the spoken word, just now, to describe to you the effect on me of the scent of the grass.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

I could tell by numerous subtle signs, which might have been lost upon anyone but myself, that Holmes was on a hot scent.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)