Vote for the best verboticism.

'It reminds me of when our kids were babies.'

DEFINITION: n. A wayward scent or aroma which invokes distant memories of one's childhood or younger days. v. To be suddenly catapulted into the past by a very strong odor.

Create | Read

Verboticisms

Click on each verboticism to read the sentences created by the Verbotomy writers, and to see your voting options...

You have two votes. Click on the words to read the details, then vote your favorite.

Reminessence

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: rem in ess sens

Sentence: Howard was completing the Circle of Life. He had started out as a baby, grew through childhood to adulthood and now as a senior was regressing back to needing the care one gives an infant. His wife Margery tended his needs and the odors of caring for another human took her back to her own child-rearing years: the feedings, the changings, the bathing and looking after an increasingly helpless person. Sometimes the scent of adult diapers were reminessence of those she had put on her own children. The scent took her back to a time when she and Howard had worked hard and enjoyed the rewards of a growing family. Who says you cannot go back again? Margery did it every day now...

Etymology: Reminiscence (a mental impression retained and recalled from the past;the process of remembering (especially the process of recovering information by mental effort) & Essence (a toiletry that emits and diffuses a fragrant odor)

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

like it - galwaywegian, 2009-03-23: 11:07:00

You have captured that cradle-to-the-grave, circle of life, with reminissence. Powerful word! - silveryaspen, 2009-03-23: 13:47:00

Your word is beautiful - I didn't realize mine starts the same way (remin. from reminisce/reminiscence). - splendiction, 2009-03-23: 16:43:00

Captured perfectly! - kateinkorea, 2009-03-23: 23:34:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Smelementary

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: smel-uh-men-tree

Sentence: When Larry watched his grandchildren for the weekend they had a great time doing an art project together. As he caught a whiff of crayons and white paste he had a true smelementary moment.

Etymology: smell (to perceive something by its odor or scent) + elementary (of or pertaining to an elementary school)

| Comments and Points

Oldsmeller

Created by: mweinmann

Pronunciation: old + smell + lur

Sentence: Yes, everytime I smell corn, I am reminded of the night Old Smeller and I slept in the cornfield waiting to catch the racoons; and the smell of hay reminds me of the time he helped bring the newly birthed calf home from the field. Sadly, when I smell pork, I remember how we were bitten by Feral Hogs. Finally, The smell of gunshot brings tears as I recall how Old Smeller got rabies from a Grey Wolf and my dad had to shoot him....

Etymology: Old - Smell - Old Yeller>> How certain odors would remind Travis of Old Yeller or Old Smeller.....

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

humorous word & LOL sentences - "...bitten by Feral Hogs."!-must smell nasty - splendiction, 2009-03-23: 21:30:00

humorous word & LOL sentences - "...bitten by Feral Hogs."!-must smell nasty. Poor Oldsmeller. - splendiction, 2009-03-23: 21:32:00

Great word and Old Yeller sure brings back memories...7 of us in our family packed into the station wagon to go see the movie at the drive-in...at the end only My Dad and I were awake to see the sad ending and I cried all the way home! - Nosila, 2009-03-23: 23:03:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Retrostench

mrskellyscl

Created by: mrskellyscl

Pronunciation: re-tro-stench

Sentence: Wandering through the empty bingo hall, Jean soon became aware of a retrostench that was clearly that of an old lady marinated in Lilly of the Valley toilet water perfume. "It couldn't be," she thought, "Grandma's been dead for 20 years."

Etymology: Retro--involving, relating to or reminicent of things past Stench--an offensive smell or odor

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

super word - Jabberwocky, 2009-03-23: 12:25:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Melancholfactory

Created by: kalex

Pronunciation: Me-lin-kol-fa-k-ter-eee

Sentence: The smell had a melancholfactory essence, subtly reminding me of years before, when Jack and I had also caught ourselves on fire. Burnt flesh! That brings it all back!

Etymology: melancholy-a forlorn feeling sometimes associated with nostalgia olfactory-having to do with or of the sense of smell, odor

| Comments and Points

Olefactory

Created by: Banky

Pronunciation: /ohl-fak-torr-ee/

Sentence: Ron's nose smelled heated metal and stinging welled in his eyes. The punch had landed squarely on the bridge of his nose, and had trigged an olefactory reaction. He remembered the first time his stepdad had hit him. The terror as he grabbed him by the back of the shirt, the smell of red iron, a mouth full of blood, and his stepfather writhing and clawing at the side of his own head. He snapped out of the memory with a mouth full of salt and rubber, and there lay the mugger doubled much the way John was, years ago. He spat, and the ear landed askew on the ground, like a fallen leaf.

Etymology: ole - colloquial version of "old"; olfactory - relating to the sense of smell

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

pretty graphic but a terrific word - Jabberwocky, 2009-03-23: 12:28:00

Your sentence ranks right up there with the best of Steven King! - silveryaspen, 2009-03-23: 13:41:00

Really good word and terrific sentence. - kateinkorea, 2009-03-23: 23:29:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Scentiment

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: sent i ment

Sentence: When old John was lying in the hospital he kept smelling the aroma of roses. It raised in him the scentiment of his Mama and the perfume she wore when he was young. It was not until he recovered from his surgery that realized it was the smell from the soapy water they used to mop the floor with each day.

Etymology: Scent (aroma, smell) & Sentiment (tender or romantic feeling or emotion)

| Comments and Points

Historeek

Created by: galwaywegian

Pronunciation: hisss tor eeeek

Sentence: the historeek led to hystereeks

Etymology: historic reek

| Comments and Points

Remimisscents

mrskellyscl

Created by: mrskellyscl

Pronunciation: rem-i-miss-scents

Sentence: The sweet fragrance of sticky buns and coffee propelled Sue into remimisscents of a childhood spent with her grandmother, whose baking prowess was legendary. She yearned for those happy, carefree days when she could eat as many sweet treats as she wanted to without gaining an ounce. She missed Grandma, too.

Etymology: reminiscence: an experience or event recollected; an event that brings to mind a similar, former event + miss: to long for + scents: aroma; fragrance

| Comments and Points

Smemories

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: smem(ə)rēz

Sentence: While Bubba was touring the Everglades, somebody popped the top on a can of Red, White & Blue. Suddenly the smemmories flooded back. The combination of the fragrance of brackish water and cheap beer was almost too much for him. The mere thought of using kids as gator bait still makes him shudder. As bad as it is for him, it’s double for his buddy Lefty.

Etymology: smell (an odor or scent) + memories (something remembered from the past; a recollection)

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

mrskellyscl very funny - mrskellyscl, 2010-10-05: 06:18:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Show All or More...

 

Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-03-23: 00:01:01
Today's definition was suggested by metrohumanx. Thank you metrohumanx. ~ James

silveryaspen - 2009-03-23: 14:34:00
The score details are a great enhancement and have helped me understand them. Thank you!

metrohumanx metrohumanx - 2009-03-24: 09:28:00
Wow! This phenomenon seems to be more widespread than i thought! Apparently it's one of our more primal instincts.

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-03-24: 11:59:00
RE: Score Details. I am still looking for a bug where it fails to add some votes to our weekly totals. Hopefully the score details page will help us find it. ~ James

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2010-10-05: 00:16:00
Today's definition was suggested by metrohumanx. Thank you metrohumanx. ~ James