Etymology

sniff

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Today it means: To make a short, audible inhalation, through the nose, as when smelling something; to smell (something). Full definition →

Middle English sniffen
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The story

  1. Middle English · inherited fromsniffen
  2. English todaysniff

From Middle English sniffen, of imitative origin.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.