petrichor
/ˈpɛtrʌɪkɔː
/noun [mass noun]
A pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather: other than the petrichor emanating from the rapidly drying grass, there was not a trace of evidence that it had rained at all...
- One can almost smell the petrichor.
- It's been raining for several days this week but our noses can't smell the petrichor because our showers are falling on saturated ground, ice filled pools, and grey piles of our most recent snowstorm's remnants.
- I am wondering if they will get the time and the open space to experience the petrichor in the air.
Origin
1960s: blend of petro- 'relating to rocks' (the smell is believed to be caused by a liquid mixture of organic compounds which collects in the ground) and ichor.