To smell very strongly of something unpleasant, or producing a lot of smoke or vapor.
From Old English 'recan' meaning 'to smoke' or 'emit vapor.' The 'bad smell' association came from 'reek' being used for foul-smelling smoke.
Medieval cities 'reeked' constantly because there was no plumbing—the word literally described smoke from fires mixing with stench from human waste, creating a sensory nightmare for everyone.
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