stench

From Middle English stench, from Old English stenċ (“stench, odor, fragrance”), from Proto-Germanic *stankwiz (“smell, fragrance, odor”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewg- (“to push, hit”). Cognate with Dutch stank (“stench, odor”), German Stank, Gestank (“stench, odor, smell”), Danish stank (“stench”), Swedish stank (“stench”), Icelandic stækja (“stench”).

• Rhymes: -ɛntʃ

stench (plural stenches)

1. a strong foul smell, a stink
2. (figuratively) a foul quality

   the stench of political corruption

3. (obsolete) A smell or odour, not necessarily bad.
   • Dryden

     Clouds of savoury stench involve the sky.

• (disagreeable smell): stink, pong (Commonwealth)

• (disagreeable smell): aroma, fragrance, perfume

• stenchy

stench (third-person singular simple present stenches, present participle stenching, simple past and past participle stenched)

1. (obsolete) To cause to emit a disagreeable odour; to cause to stink.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Young to this entry?)

2. To stanch.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Harvey to this entry?)

• stunch, stinnch, stenche, stynche, stinche, stænc

From Old English stenċ, from Proto-Germanic *stankwiz. Conflated with Old English stynċ, from Proto-Germanic *stunkwiz.

• IPA^(key): /stɛntʃ/, /stintʃ/, /stuntʃ/

stench (plural stenches)

1. A stench; a displeasing or repulsive smell.
2. Something which causes or has such a repulsive smell.
3. The smell of the fires of hell (thought to be of sulphur)
4. The smell or odour of sinfulness or iniquity.
5. (rare, Early Middle English) A smell or scent (good or bad).

• stenchen

• English: stench
• Scots: stench, stinch

• “stench (n.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-10-24.