Part 497

2. Hence, a spot made by, or as by, an unctuous or adhesive substance; a blot or blotch; a daub; a stain.

Slow broke the morn, All damp and rolling vapor, with no sun, But in its place a moving smear of light.

Alexander Smith.

Smear" dab" (?). (Zoöl.) The sand fluke (b). [Prov. Eng.]

Smeared (?), a. (Zoöl.) Having the color mark ings ill defined, as if rubbed; as, the smeared dagger moth (Apatela oblinita).

Smear"y (?), a. Tending to smear or soil; adhesive; viscous. Rowe.

Smeath (?), n. (Zoöl.) The smew. [Prov. Eng.]

Smec"tite (?), n. [G. smectit, fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?; a kind of fuller's earth, fr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?; to wipe off.] (Min.) A hydrous silicate of alumina, of a greenish color, which, in certain states of humidity, appears transparent and almost gelatinous.

Smee (?), n. [Cf. Smew.] (Zoöl.) (a) The pintail duck. (b) The widgeon. (c) The poachard. (d) The smew. [Prov. Eng.]

Smeeth (?), v. t. [Etymol. uncertain.] To smoke; to blacken with smoke; to rub with soot. [Obs.]

Smeeth (?), v. t. [OE. sme&?;en, AS. sm&?;&?;ian. See Smooth.] To smooth. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Smeg"ma (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?; soap, fr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?; to wash off.] (Physiol.) The matter secreted by any of the sebaceous glands. Specifically: (a) The soapy substance covering the skin of newborn infants. (b) The cheesy, sebaceous matter which collects between the glans penis and the foreskin.

Smeg*mat"ic (?), a. Being of the nature of soap; soapy; cleansing; detersive.

Smeir (?), n. A salt glaze on pottery, made by adding common salt to an earthenware glaze.

Smell (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Smelled (?), Smelt (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Smelling.] [OE. smellen, smillen, smullen; cf. LG. smellen, smelen, smölen, schmelen, to smoke, to reek, D. smeulen to smolder, and E. smolder. Cf. Smell, n.] 1. To perceive by the olfactory nerves, or organs of smell; to have a sensation of, excited through the nasal organs when affected by the appropriate materials or qualities; to obtain the scent of; as, to smell a rose; to smell perfumes.

2. To detect or perceive, as if by the sense of smell; to scent out; -- often with out. "I smell a device." Shak.

Can you smell him out by that?

Shak.

3. To give heed to. [Obs.]

From that time forward I began to smellthe Word of God, and forsook the school doctors.

Latimer.

To smell a rat, to have a sense of something wrong, not clearly evident; to have reason for suspicion. [Colloq.] -- To smell out, to find out by sagacity. [Colloq.]

Smell, v. i. 1. To affect the olfactory nerves; to have an odor or scent; -- often followed by of; as, to smell of smoke, or of musk.

2. To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality; to savor; as, a report smells of calumny.

Praises in an enemy are superfluous, or smell of craft.

Milton.

3. To exercise the sense of smell. Ex. xxx. 38.

4. To exercise sagacity. Shak.