The faculty of smell

The Collaborative International Dictionary Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
Olfaction \Ol*fac"tion\, n. [See Olfactory .] (Physiol.) The sense by which the impressions made on the olfactory organs by the odorous particles in the atmosphere are perceived.

Wikipedia Word definitions in Wikipedia
Olfaction , also known as olfactics , is the sense of smell. This sense is mediated by specialized sensory cells of the nasal cavity of vertebrates, which can be considered analogous to sensory cells of the antennae of invertebrates. In humans, olfaction ...

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
noun of action from Latin olfactus , past participle of olfacere "to smell, get the smell of" (transitive), from olere "to emit a smell" (see odor ) + facere "to make" (see factitious ).

Wiktionary Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. the sense of smell; the detection of airborne molecules

WordNet Word definitions in WordNet
n. the faculty of smell [syn: smell , sense of smell , olfactory modality ]