effluvium Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a foul-smelling outflow or vapor (especially a gaseous waste)

WordNet

Ef*flu"vi*um noun
Etymology
L., a flowing out, fr. effluere to flow out. See Effluent, a.
Wordforms
plural Effluvia
Definitions
  1. Subtile or invisible emanation; exhalation perceived by the sense of smell; especially, noisome or noxious exhalation; as, the effluvium from diseased or putrefying bodies, or from ill drainage.

Webster 1913