Stench
/stɛntʃ/noun
A strong, unpleasant smell.
Did you know?English *stench* is historically related to words for “stinging” and “the sting of a blow,” showing how old Germanic languages linked smell, pain, and impact in one brutal root.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sten-
“to pierce, thrust, or sting”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*stankwaz / *stankiz
“something that stings or gives off a sharp, penetrating effect”
Old English
OE
stenc
“a smell, odor”
Middle English
ME
stench
“a smell, especially a strong or offensive one”
Modern English
English
stench
“a strong, unpleasant smell”