Smog
/smɑːɡ/noun
A polluted haze of smoke and fog in the air.
Did you know?Smog is a 20th-century portmanteau, not an ancient occult word—but it became one of the most hauntingly vivid examples of language inventing a new reality from crisis.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheh₁-
“to put, place, set”
Old English
English
smoca
“smoke”
Old English
English
fog
“dense mist or vapor”
Early 20th Century
English
smog
“a polluted haze formed from smoke and fog”
Modern English
English
smog
“polluted air containing smoke, fog, and other contaminants”