Gloss · Words · Petrichor

petrichor

ˈpɛtrɪkɔːrnoun

What does petrichor mean?

The earthy smell that rises when rain falls on dry ground.

Petrichor, six ways

PlainThe earthy smell that rises when rain falls on dry ground.
ADHDThat smell after rain on dry ground. Hot pavement, first drops, done.
Gen ZThat smell when rain lands on dry ground. Hot pavement, the first few drops, dust in the air.
MetaphorThe ground exhaling after a long dry spell, the moment the first rain lands.
FormalThe distinctive earthy scent released when rain falls on dry soil.
Like I’m 5You know when it rains after a hot day and outside smells kind of dusty and nice? That’s it.

How to pronounce petrichor

PET-rih-kor/ˈpɛtrɪkɔːr/

Petrichor in a sentence

After the storm came the petrichor.
Open the window: petrichor.
Part of petrichor is geosmin, a compound made by soil bacteria.

Synonyms for petrichor

rain smellThe everyday phrase.
earthinessThe quality, not the moment.

Where petrichor comes from

Greek. Petra, stone, and ichor, the fluid that ran in the veins of the gods. Two Australian scientists put them together in 1964.

Good to know

Use it for the smell itself, not for the rain: the petrichor after a storm. It is mostly a writer’s word; in conversation, “that smell after rain” does the job.

Petrichor meaning, on a Gloss card: The earthy smell that rises when rain falls on dry ground.

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In: Beautiful words · Words for the senses · Words with a story · Latin and Greek roots