fetor
/ˈfiːtə
/(also foetor)
noun
A strong, foul smell: the fetor of decay...
- When Arima, one of the main characters, goes crazy later in the same story, it seems to be tied to an increased fetor: ‘The stench of pus and smell of sweat filled the hut oppressively’.
- And Prescott still wants to eliminate the distressing fetor: ‘If it stinks there, it should be corrected.’
- A fetor of evil seemed to hang in the amazingly still, and stagnate air.
Origin
Late 15th century: from Latin, from fetere 'to stink'. Compare with fetid.