olfaction
Meaning of olfaction: Olfaction is the sensory process that detects airborne chemical molecules in the nose and interprets them as distinct smells.
Definition of olfaction
Olfaction is the sense of smell, the physiological process by which airborne chemical molecules are detected and interpreted as odors. Odor molecules that enter the nasal cavity bind to specialized receptors in the olfactory epithelium, and this activity is relayed through the olfactory nerve to regions of the brain involved in smell and memory.
Olfaction works closely with taste to produce the overall perception of flavor, which is one reason food can seem bland when the nose is congested. The sense can be temporarily or permanently reduced by upper respiratory infection, nasal obstruction, head injury, aging, and certain neurologic conditions.
A partial loss of the sense of smell is called hyposmia, and a complete loss is called anosmia; both are distinct from a distorted or phantom sense of smell.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
The patient reported a gradual decline in olfaction over several months.
Good to know
Hyposmia refers to a reduced sense of smell, while anosmia refers to its complete absence; both are distinct from parosmia, a distorted perception of smell.
Word origin
Where “olfaction” comes from
From Latin olfacere, meaning "to smell," formed from olere ("to smell") and facere ("to make").