Word Nerd Alert: Petrichor

Noun · \ˈpe-trə-ˌkȯr\

: a distinctive, earthy, usually pleasant odor that is associated with rainfall especially when following a warm, dry period and that arises from a combination of volatile plant oils and geosmin released from the soil into the air and by ozone carried by downdrafts

“Australian scientists first documented the process of petrichor formation in 1964 …”

Roots

From Greek petra, “stone,” + ichor, the fluid said to flow in the veins of the gods

Close cousins

sulfur rain, sulphur rain, acid rain, pitch peat, firestink

First known use

1964