nidor means the smell of burning animals, especially of burning animal fat. It carries an Arena rating of 1549, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, nidor ranks #12 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #636 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #1,111 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #2,447 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
nidor is pronounced /ˈnʌɪdə/.
Why “nidor” is a great word
The sharp, distinct smell of burning or roasting animal fat or flesh. From Latin nīdor ("vapor, steam, smell, especially from cooking"). Unlike "aroma," which promises culinary pleasure, or "stench," which signals general decay, nidor is the specific, greasy pall of sacrificial matter meeting flame. It is the acrid plume from a forgotten roast, the clinging ghost of a battlefield pyre, the heavy truth of transformation by fire—an ancient word for the moment appetite inhales the scent of its own cremation.
Etymology
From Latin nidor.
noun
- The smell of burning animals, especially of burning animal fat.e.g.“the material Demons do strangely gluttonize upon the Nidours and Bloud of Sacrifices” — 1681, Henry Hallywell, Melampronoea:
- Any smell.e.g.“For her part Vicki smells little, not even the nidor of antifreeze at the stock car races at Lake Doucette.” — 2007, Samuel F. Pickering, Autumn spring, page 28:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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