odor

Where does the word "odor" come from? It comes from Latin odor, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Odor’s story begins in Latin: odor meant “smell.” Related to Greek 'ozein', to smell, the root of 'ozone'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as odour. 'odour of sanctity' was said of saints whose bodies supposedly smelled sweet. It reached English by 1300s as odor. 'deodorant' dates from the 1800s. Today, odor means a distinctive smell.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient odor "smell", related to Greek 'ozein', to smell, the root of 'ozone'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval odour "smell", 'odour of sanctity' was said of saints whose bodies supposedly smelled sweet.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s odor "smell", 'deodorant' dates from the 1800s.