mephitis means A poisonous or foul-smelling gas, especially as emitted from the earth; an unpleasant smell. It carries an Arena rating of 1584, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, mephitis ranks #126 of 17,106 for Most Storied Words, #321 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #499 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #992 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
mephitis is pronounced /məˈfaɪ.tɪs/.
Why “mephitis” is a great word
A foul or poisonous vapor, especially one rising from the earth or a noxious fluid such as that secreted by skunks. From Latin *mefītis*, *mephītis*, from the name of a Samnite goddess who personified poisonous swamp and volcanic gases; first attested in English in the early 17th century. Unlike "effluvium," a general and often unpleasant outflow, or "miasma," a polluted, contagion-carrying atmosphere, mephitis names the stench itself as a specific, geological poison. It is the sulfurous breath of a volcanic fissure, the stagnant exhalation of a marsh, or the eye-watering spray of a threatened skunk—a reminder that the ground beneath us is not inert, but sometimes sighs with a malodorous and ancient life.
Etymology
From Latin mefītis, mephītis, from the name of a Samnite goddess who personified the poisonous gases emitted from swamps and volcanoes.
noun
- A poisonous or foul-smelling gas, especially as emitted from the earth; an unpleasant smell.
- A dilution of fluids derived from skunks or polecats.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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