olfactory

     

Olfaction (also known as olfactics or smell) refers to the sense of smell. This sense is meiated by specialized sensory cells of the nasal cavity of vertebrates, and, by analogy, sensory cells of the antennae of invertebrates. For air-breathing animals, the olfactory system detects volatile or, in the case of the accessory olfactory system, fluid-phase chemicals. For water-dwelling organisms, e.g., fish or crustaceans, the chemicals are present in the surrounding aqueous medium. Olfaction, along with taste, is a form of chemoreception. The chemicals themselves which activate the olfactory system, generally at very low concentrations, are called odors.

Trivia about olfactory

  • It means of or pertaining to the sense of smell
  • Whether you smell a rat or smell the roses, you're using this sense

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