petrichor

Etymology

From petr(o)- +‎ ichor. The word was coined by scientists Isabel Joy Bear (Australian) and Richard Thomas (British) in their 1964 article "Nature of Argillaceous Odour", published in the journal Nature.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛtɹɪkɚ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛtɹɪkə/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛtɹɪkɔ(ə)ɹ/

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Noun

petrichor (uncountable)

1. The distinctive scent which accompanies the first rain after a long warm dry spell.
   • 2010, Val Panesar, For the Sake of the Future:

     Though it had yet to begin raining, the familiar smell of petrichor appeared to be already present and Neelam suddenly wished she was sitting at home with a nice cup of tea and a good book.

2. The yellow organic oil that yields this scent.
   • 1980, John E Bardach et al., Fish Behavior and its Use in the Capture and Culture of Fishes:

     He hypothesizes that this factor may be petrichor, an oil which has been isolated from silicate minerals and rocks [...].

Anagrams

• chiropter, pre-rhotic, prerhotic