Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

petrichor

/ˈpɛt.ɹɪˌkɔɹ

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.60 in modern English

Syllables: pe-tri-chor
IPA: /ˈpɛt.ɹɪˌkɔɹ

16

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The distinctive scent, caused by geosmin, which accompanies the first rain after a long, warm, dry spell.

Uncountable

noun

The yellow organic oil that yields this scent.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Though it had yet to begin raining, the familiar smell of petrichor appeared to be already present and Neelam suddenly wished she was sitting at home with a nice cup of tea and a good book."
"The sources of the heavenly scent during and immediately after it rains are petrichor and geosmin. Petricor is an oil produced by plants then absorbed by rocks and soil and released into the air during rainfall."
"He hypothesizes that this factor may be petrichor, an oil which has been isolated from silicate minerals and rocks[…]."

Etymology

From petr(o)- + ichor. Coined by Australian scientist Richard Grenfell Thomas in 1964 for the article “Nature of Argillaceous Odour”, co-authored by Isabel Joy Bear and published in the journal Nature.

Word Breakdown

Prefix: petro

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈpɛt.ɹɪˌkɔɹ
British English: /ˈpɛt.ɹɪ.kə

Usage

Uncountable

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Chemistry.

Frequently Paired Words

geosmin

Questions

How do you pronounce petrichor?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɛt.ɹɪˌkɔɹ.
What does petrichor mean?: The distinctive scent, caused by geosmin, which accompanies the first rain after a long, warm, dry spell.
Where does petrichor come from?: From petr(o)- + ichor. Coined by Australian scientist Richard Grenfell Thomas in 1964 for the article “Nature of Argillaceous Odour”, co-authored by Isabel Joy Bear and published in the journal Nature.

How to pronounce petrichor

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