petrichor
- 1The distinctive earthy scent that comes with the first rain after a long spell of warm, dry weather.
The first fat drops struck the parched pavement, and the sweet scent of petrichor drifted in through the open car windows.
Hikers caught a strong hint of petrichor rising from the dusty trail as the first storm in six weeks swept over the ridge.
UsageOften the smell of petrichor or the scent of petrichor.
Note
The word is a modern coinage, not an old one. Richard Grenfell Thomas, an Australian scientist, built it in 1964 from petro- and ichor for an article in Nature written with Isabel Joy Bear. It has since passed from the laboratory into fiction and nature writing, where it often comes as the smell or scent of petrichor, and it takes no plural.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- Petrichor is a modern coinage dating from 1964. en.wikipedia.org
- Australian scientist Richard Grenfell Thomas coined the word in 1964 for a Nature article co-authored with Isabel Joy Bear. en.wiktionary.org
- The word combines petro- and ichor. en.wiktionary.org
Less common meaning
- 2The yellow organic oil that produces the distinctive scent accompanying the first rain after a long, warm, dry spell.
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Origin
Coined in 1964 by the Australian scientist Richard Grenfell Thomas for “Nature of Argillaceous Odour”, a paper in Nature written with Isabel Joy Bear. He joined Greek petra ('stone') with ichor, the golden fluid said to run in the veins of the Greek gods.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Australian scientist Richard Grenfell Thomas coined petrichor in 1964 for “Nature of Argillaceous Odour”, co-authored with Isabel Joy Bear and published in Nature. en.wiktionary.org
- The word combines Greek petra, meaning stone, with ichor. csiro.au
- Ichor is described as the golden fluid running in the veins of the Greek gods. en.wikipedia.org