stench
nounverbattested in dialogue
- //stɛnt͡ʃ//
a strong foul smell; a stink.
noun
- 1
a strong foul smell; a stink.
- 2
figurativeA foul quality.
the stench of political corruption
- 3
obsoleteA smell or odour, not necessarily bad.
Black bulls, and bearded goats on altars lie; / And clouds of ſav'ry ſtench involve the ſky.
Etymology
From Middle English stench, from Old English stenċ (“stench, odor, fragrance”), from Proto-Germanic *stankwiz (“smell, fragrance, odor”), from Proto-Indo-European *stengʷ- (“to push, thrust”). Cognate with Dutch stank (“stench, odor”), German Stank, Gestank (“stench, odor, smell”), Danish stank (“stench”), Swedish stank (“stench”), Icelandic stækja (“stench”).
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo cause to emit a disagreeable odour; to cause to stink.
Dead bards stench every coast
- 2
To stanch.
Forms
- plural
- stenches
- past tense
- stenched
- past participle
- stenched
- present participle
- stenching
- third person singular
- stenches