# "odoriferous" - whence the "ifer"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odoriferous-whence-the-ifer/713282>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 21, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odoriferous-whence-the-ifer/713282 "2015-02-21T19:21:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odoriferous-whence-the-ifer/713282/21 "2015-02-24T10:18:47Z")

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I think we also have a transatlantic difference. In my (UK) experience, odourous and malodourous is the norm, and odiferous is seen as an American usage. We see this as an exaggeration for effect like ‘splendiferous’, using the ‘ous’ suffix in a way like ‘sumptuous’.

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**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odoriferous-whence-the-ifer/713282/22 "2015-02-24T15:50:02Z")

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From what I could discern about the history of Greek phonology, the sound of epsilon started as [e] in Ancient Greek, shifted to [ε] in Koine, and eventually shifted back to [e] for Modern Greek. Somehow we English speakers have picked up on the Koine [ε] pronunciation to the point that we use the epsilon glyph to represent the lax vowel sound (like in “fed”) instead of the tense vowel (as in “fate”).

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**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odoriferous-whence-the-ifer/713282/23 "2015-02-24T16:18:00Z")

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> [@DSeid](#):
>
> Thanks!
> 
> And different “fer” than the iron one … is an iron mine feriferous?

Nope, ferriferous.  
**bob++** , odoriferous, not odiferous.

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**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odoriferous-whence-the-ifer/713282/24 "2015-02-24T16:32:51Z")

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> [@Nava](#):
>
> Nope, ferriferous.  
> **bob++** , odoriferous, not odiferous.

Definition of odiferous in English:  
ADJECTIVE

Variant spelling of odoriferous.

> **[Oxford Languages | The Home of Language Data](https://languages.oup.com/)**
>
> Explore Oxford Languages, the home of world-renowned language data.

odoriferous is just a syllable too far.

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**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odoriferous-whence-the-ifer/713282/25 "2015-02-24T19:10:04Z")

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That’s a funny definition, because odoriferous is closer to the original language. Doesn’t mean odiferous isn’t actually older, but it’s more derived.

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**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odoriferous-whence-the-ifer/713282/26 "2015-02-24T19:18:48Z")

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> [@Nava](#):
>
> That’s a funny definition, because odoriferous is closer to the original language. Doesn’t mean odiferous isn’t actually older, but it’s more derived.

Perhaps given some oomph by the Latin _odium_ “hatred.”

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**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odoriferous-whence-the-ifer/713282/27 "2015-02-25T20:04:15Z")

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> [@Dr.Drake](#):
>
> Perhaps given some oomph by the Latin _odium_ “hatred.”

Thereby changing the meaning altogether.  
odiferous - hate-bearing  
odoriferous - odor-bearing

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