stench
English Edit
Etymology Edit
From Middle English stench, from Old English stenċ (“stench, odor, fragrance”), from Proto-Germanic *stankwiz (“smell, fragrance, odor”), from Proto-Indo-European *stengʷ- (“to push, thrust”). Cognate with Dutch stank (“stench, odor”), German Stank, Gestank (“stench, odor, smell”), Danish stank (“stench”), Swedish stank (“stench”), Icelandic stækja (“stench”).
Pronunciation Edit
Noun Edit
stench (plural stenches)
- a strong foul smell; a stink.
- (figurative) A foul quality.
- the stench of political corruption
- (obsolete) A smell or odour, not necessarily bad.
- a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “The First Book of Homer’s Ilias”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume IV, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 432:
- Black bulls, and bearded goats on altars lie; / And clouds of ſav'ry ſtench involve the ſky.
Synonyms Edit
Antonyms Edit
Derived terms Edit
Translations Edit
a strong foul smell, a stink
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metaphorically, a foul quality
Verb Edit
stench (third-person singular simple present stenches, present participle stenching, simple past and past participle stenched)
- (obsolete) To cause to emit a disagreeable odour; to cause to stink.
- 1729, Edward Young, Imperium Pelagi:
- Dead bards stench every coast
- To stanch.
Middle English Edit
Alternative forms Edit
Etymology Edit
Originally two distinct nouns:
- Old English stenċ, from Proto-West Germanic *stankwi, from Proto-Germanic *stankwiz.
- Old English stynċ, from Proto-West Germanic *stunkwi, from Proto-Germanic *stunkwiz.
Pronunciation Edit
Noun Edit
stench (plural stenches)
- A stench; an unpleasant or repulsive smell:
- Something that causes or has such a smell.
- (rare, Early Middle English) A smell or scent (good or bad).
Related terms Edit
Descendants Edit
References Edit
- “stench, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-10-24.