mephitic means foul-smelling or noxious, particularly of a gas or atmosphere. It carries an Arena rating of 1551, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, mephitic ranks #166 of 17,122 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #386 of 17,115 for Most Vivid Words, #406 of 17,118 for Scariest Words, #1,572 of 17,125 for Most Incisive Words.
mephitic is pronounced /ˌmɛˈfɪ.tɪk/.
Why “mephitic” is a great word
Foul-smelling or noxious, especially of a gas or atmosphere. From the Latin mephīticus, from mephītis ("a noxious exhalation, pestilential vapor"), attested in English from the 1620s. Unlike "malodorous," which broadly denotes a bad smell, or "miasmic," which evokes a general atmosphere of decay, mephitic carries the lethally specific threat of poison. It is the eggy reek of marsh gas, the acrid bite of volcanic fumes, and the sickly-sweet odor of chemicals that singe the nose hairs—a sensory alarm that the very air has turned hostile, a reminder that some atmospheres are not merely unpleasant but actively inimical to life.
Etymology
From Latin mephīticus, from mephītis; compare French méphitique.
adj
- Foul-smelling or noxious, particularly of a gas or atmosphere.e.g.“"I could have borne the sight of his crutch," said she, "but the crutch and the nephew together really oppress me like a mephitic vapour."”
Words closest in meaning
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