Word of the week: Petrichor

Petrichor (noun)
[PET-ri-kuhr]

Thanks for @splitinwriter for this suggestion (and good timing this week!). According to the Macquarie Dictionary: “The term petrichor was coined in Australia in 1964 by two CSIRO scientists to describe the smell that occurs when it rains or is just about to rain. It was discovered by examining stones and clays that exhibited a distinct smell when moistened or breathed upon. Within, a yellowish oil was discovered as the source of the smell and subsequently named ‘petrichor' or ‘blood of the stone'… When rain hits a surface, it traps gases which are released as aerosols, taking with them a component of whatever they have hit. In these cases, a small portion of petrichor is released with the gases and distributed via wind through the air.”

Petrichor – that “new rain” smell! To hear Valerie and Allison chat more about this and more on the world of writing, blogging and publishing, check out the podcast.