A strong, heavy, or offensive smell; a rank or musty odor.
From Latin graveolentia, from graveolens (smelling strongly). Comes from gravis (heavy) + olere (to smell).
This rare word literally breaks down to 'heavy-smelling,' and it perfectly describes how unpleasant smells actually feel heavy and thick in the air—medieval scholars using Latin were really accurate in describing the physics of how odors work.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.