Geruchs

Geruchs is the genitive singular form of the German noun Geruch, meaning odor or smell. It appears in sentences such as des Geruchs or the Geruch of something, for example der Geruch des Knoblauchs. In ordinary usage, the base form Geruch is preferred for referring to an odor, while Gerüche denotes multiple odors. Geruchs as a standalone noun form is mainly encountered in grammatical contexts or fixed expressions.

Beyond its inflected use, Geruch also serves as a productive root in German compounds with the linking form -s-, written as Geruchs-. This prefix yields odor-related terms such as Geruchsbelästigung (odor nuisance) and Geruchsstoffe (odor compounds), which describe substances or effects related to smells. Terms built with Geruchs- occur across law, public health, and science literature, often relating to odor emissions, dispersion, and nuisance assessment. In science contexts, one differentiates between pleasant and unpleasant smells using related vocabulary such as Duft for a pleasant smell and general references to Geruch.

For learners, the key points are: Geruchs is not typically used as the base noun in everyday writing; use Geruch in the nominative, with des Geruchs in the genitive, and Gerüche for the plural. The word also connects to related terms like Geruchssinn (sense of smell) and other odor-related vocabulary, illustrating how a single root can generate a family of German terms tied to smell and odor.