# petrichor

Pronunciation: US say "PET-ri-kor" /ˈpɛt.ɹɪˌkɔɹ; UK say "PET-ri-kuh" /ˈpɛt.ɹɪ.kə

## Noun

1. The distinctive earthy scent that comes with the first rain after a long spell of warm, dry weather.
   - Simple: The special smell in the air when it first rains after a long period 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._

## Other meanings

- (noun) The yellow organic oil that produces the distinctive scent accompanying the first rain after a long, warm, dry spell.

## 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.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/petrichor (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).