Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SMASH'ING, ppr.

Dashing to pieces.

SMATCH, n. [corrupted from Smack.]

1. Taste; tincture. [Not in use or vulgar.]
2. A bird.

SMAT'TER, n.

Slight superficial knowledge. Temple.

SMAT'TER, v.i. [Qu. Dan. smatter, to smack, to make a noise in chewing; Sw. smattra, to crackle; Ice. smædr. It contains the elements of matter.]

1. To talk superficially or ignorantly. Of state affairs you can not smatter. – Swift.
2. To have a slight taste, or a slight superficial knowledge.

SMAT'TER-ER, n.

One who has only a slight superficial knowledge. – Swift.

SMAT'TER-ING, n.

A slight superficial knowledge. [This is the word commonly used.]

SMEAR, n.

A fat oily substance; ointment. [Little used.]

SMEAR, v.t. [Sax. smerian, smirian; D. smeeren; G. schmieren; Dan. smörer; Sw. smörja; Ir. smearam; Russ. marayu; D. smeer; G. schmier, grease, tallow; Ir. smear, id.; Sw. and Dan. smör, butter. Qu. its alliance with marrow, marl, mire, from its softness. See Class Mr, No. 10, 21.]

1. To overspread with any thing unctuous, viscous or adhesive; to besmear; to daub; as, to smear any thing with oil, butter, pitch, &c. Milton. – Dryden.
2. To soil; to contaminate; to pollute; as, smeared with infamy. – Shak.

SMEAR-ED, pp.

Overspread with soft or oily matter; soiled.

SMEAR-ING, ppr.

Overspreading with any thing soft and oleaginous; soiling.

SMEAR-Y, a.

That smears or soils; adhesive. [Little used.] – Rowe.

SMEATH, n.

A sea fowl.

SMEC'TITE, n. [Gr. σμηκτις, deterging.]

An argillaceous earth; so called from its property of taking grease out of cloth, &c. – Pinkerton.

SMEETH, v.t.

To smoke. [Not in use.]

SMEG-MAT'IC, a. [Gr. σμηγμα, soap.]

Being of the nature of soap; soapy; cleansing; detersive.

SMELL, n.

1. The sense or faculty by which certain qualities of bodies are perceived through the instrumentality of the olfactory nerves; or the faculty of perceiving by the organs of the nose; one of the five senses. In some species of beasts, the smell is remarkably acute, particularly in the canine species.
2. Scent; odor; the quality of bodies which affects the olfactory organs; as, the smell of mint; the smell of geranium. The sweetest smell in the air is that of the white double violet. – Bacon.

SMELL, v.i.

1. To affect the olfactory nerves; to have an odor or particular scent; followed by of; as, to smell of smoke; to smell of musk.
2. To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality, as, a report smells of calumny. [Not elegant.] – Shak.
3. To practice smelling. – Exod. xxx. Shak.
4. To exercise sagacity.

SMELL, v.t. [pret. and pp. smelled, smelt. I have not found this word in any other language.]

To perceive by the nose, or by the olfactory nerves; to have a sensation excited in certain organs of the nose by particular qualities of a body, which are transmitted in fine particles, often from a distance; as, to smell a rose; to smell perfumes. To smell out, is a low phrase signifying to find out by sagacity. – L'Estrange. To smell a rat, is a low phrase signifying to suspect strongly.

SMELL'ED, or SMELT, v. [pret. and pp. of Smell.]

SMELL'ER, n.

One that smells.

SMELL'FEAST, n. [smell and feast.]

One that is apt to find and frequent good tables; an epicure; a parasite. – L'Estrange.

SMELL'ING, n.

The sense by which odors are perceived.

SMELL'ING, ppr.

Perceiving by the olfactory nerves.

SMELT, n. [Sax.]

A small fish that is very delicate food. But in Europe, a fish of the truttaceous kind, so named from its peculiar smell. – Dict. Nat. Hist.

SMELT, v. [See SMELLED.]