The Smell of Rain has a Name

There’s a word for the smell of rain: petrichor. It comes from oils released by plants and soil when rain finally breaks a dry spell.

Coined in the 1960s, petrichor blends the Greek words for stone (petra) and the ethereal fluid of the gods (ichor). Fitting, right? It captures that sweet, earthy scent that rises from dry ground as the first drops fall.

So what causes it?

During droughts, some plants release oils into the soil to pause germination. When rain returns, those oils mix with a compound called geosmin, made by soil-dwelling bacteria. As raindrops hit the ground, tiny air bubbles burst, releasing that scent into the air.

Humans are remarkably good at picking up geosmin—some say even better than sharks are at detecting blood in water.

Try This: Next time it rains after a dry spell, step outside and take a deep breath. Ask your kids: “What do you smell?” Can they describe petrichor in their own words?