scent Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a distinctive odor that is pleasant
perfume; fragrance; aroma.
noun an odor left in passing by which a person or animal can be traced
noun any property detected by the olfactory system
odor; odour; aroma; olfactory property; smell.
verb cause to smell or be smelly
odourise; odorize.
verb catch the scent of; get wind of
nose; wind.
- The dog nosed out the drugs
verb apply perfume to
perfume.
- She perfumes herself every day

Originally sent, fr. F. sentir to feel, to smell. See Sense.

imperfect & past participle Scented; present participle & verbal noun Scenting

To perceive by the olfactory organs; to smell; as, to scent game, as a hound does.
Methinks I scent the morning air. Shak.
To imbue or fill with odor; to perfume.
Balm from a silver box distilled around, Shall all bedew the roots, and scent the sacred ground. Dryden.

To have a smell. Obs.
Thunderbolts . . . do scent strongly of brimstone. Holland.
To hunt animals by means of the sense of smell.

That which, issuing from a body, affects the olfactory organs of animals; odor; smell; as, the scent of an orange, or of a rose; the scent of musk.
With lavish hand diffuses scents ambrosial. prior.
Specifically, the odor left by an animal on the ground in passing over it; as, dogs find or lose the scent; hence, course of pursuit; track of discovery.
He gained the observations of innumerable ages, and traveled upon the same scent into Ethiopia. Sir W. Temple.
The power of smelling; the sense of smell; as, a hound of nice scent; to divert the scent. I. Watts.