- mephitic
- mephitic (adj.) 1620s, "of poisonous smell," from L.L. mephiticus, from L. mephitis, mefitis "noxious vapor" (also personified as a goddess believed to have the power to avert it).
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
mephitic
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Mephitic — Me*phit ic, Mephitical Me*phit ic*al, a. [L. mephiticus, fr. mephitis mephitis: cf. F. m[ e]phitique.] 1. Tending to destroy life; poisonous; noxious; as, mephitic exhalations; mephitic regions. [1913 Webster] 2. Offensive to the smell; as,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
mephitic — index deadly, harmful, insalubrious, malignant, pernicious, pestilent Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
mephitic — toxic, *poisonous, venomous, virulent, pestilent, pestilential, miasmic, miasmatic, miasmal Analogous words: *offensive, loathsome, revolting, repulsive, repugnant: fetid, noisome, putrid, *malodorous: noxious, *pernicious, baneful … New Dictionary of Synonyms
mephitic — [mə fit′ik] adj. [LL mephiticus] 1. of or caused by mephitis 2. a) bad smelling b) poisonous; noxious … English World dictionary
mephitic — adjective Date: circa 1623 of, relating to, or resembling mephitis ; foul smelling < mephitic vapors > … New Collegiate Dictionary
mephitic — adjective a) foul smelling. It is impossible to convey, in words, any idea of the hideous phantasmagoria of shifting limbs and faces which moved through the evil smelling twilight of this terrible prison house. Callot might have drawn it, Dante… … Wiktionary
Mephitic air — Mephitic Me*phit ic, Mephitical Me*phit ic*al, a. [L. mephiticus, fr. mephitis mephitis: cf. F. m[ e]phitique.] 1. Tending to destroy life; poisonous; noxious; as, mephitic exhalations; mephitic regions. [1913 Webster] 2. Offensive to the smell;… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
mephitic air — Carbonic Car*bon ic, a. [Cf. F. carbonique. See {Carbon}.] (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, carbon; as, carbonic oxide. [1913 Webster] {Carbonic acid} (Chem.), an acid {HO.CO.OH}, not existing separately, which, combined with positive … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
mephitic air — noun or mephitic gas 1. archaic : carbon dioxide 2. archaic : air exhausted of oxygen and containing chiefly nitrogen … Useful english dictionary
mephitic gas — noun see mephitic air … Useful english dictionary
