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Petrichor (from Greek petros, "stone" + ichor):
is the scent of rain on dry earth; more specifically, it is the name of the yellow organic oil that yields this scent. The term was coined by two Australian researchers in 1964 for an article in the journal Nature. In the article, the smell is shown to derive from an oil exuded by certain plants during dry periods, whereupon it is adsorbed by clay-based soils and rocks. During rain, the oil is released into the air along with another compound, geosmin, producing the distinctive scent. In a follow up paper, the researchers showed the oil retards seed germination and early plant growth.
Which is to say I love the smell more for what it represents than the actual smell itself and want it to have a name that means "fabulous, pregnant with possibilities and yet smelling a lot like dry concrete becoming wet with a delicate bouquet of ozone."
is the scent of rain on dry earth; more specifically, it is the name of the yellow organic oil that yields this scent. The term was coined by two Australian researchers in 1964 for an article in the journal Nature. In the article, the smell is shown to derive from an oil exuded by certain plants during dry periods, whereupon it is adsorbed by clay-based soils and rocks. During rain, the oil is released into the air along with another compound, geosmin, producing the distinctive scent. In a follow up paper, the researchers showed the oil retards seed germination and early plant growth.
Which is to say I love the smell more for what it represents than the actual smell itself and want it to have a name that means "fabulous, pregnant with possibilities and yet smelling a lot like dry concrete becoming wet with a delicate bouquet of ozone."
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