At 5am yesterday morning I was awoken by the early spring rains. It had been a few weeks since the last rain graced us with its presence; the ground had dried out, a lot of the bulbs had quit blooming; in general spring seemed to have come to a stand still. As light came no later than 6:30, I was up and out of the house. The rain had diminished to a slight sprinkle and the air was filled with the smell of fresh rain. That smell is something we all seem to enjoy. It is something that everyone simply refers to as the "smell of fresh rain," but surely there is a word for it? The first few of us that arrived at work were talking about how good it smelled outside and how much it woke us up on such a dreary-looking day. After a little investigation, it turns out there is a word for the smell of fresh rain, it is 'petrichor.' Not only did the petrichor wake me up, it woke up the trees. Everything was so green, just in time for my evening run and just in time before day got dark again.
petrichor (PET-ri-kuhr) noun
The pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell.
[From petro- (rock), from Greek petros (stone) + ichor (the fluid that is supposed to flow in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology). Coined by researchers I.J. Bear and R.G. Thomas.]
