Reek
/riːk/noun
To emit a strong, unpleasant smell, or a strong smell itself.
Did you know?Old English rēoc could mean smoke or vapor, so the word’s oldest history is closer to a drifting, visible haze than to simple stench.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*reueg-
“to emit smoke or steam; to be smoky/vaporous”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*rūkijaną
“to smoke, emit vapor”
Old English
English
rēoc
“smoky, reeking, vaporous”
Middle English
English
reken
“to smoke; give off an odor”
Modern English
English
reek
“to give off a strong, usually unpleasant smell”