odlike

Odlike is a rarely used English adjective formed by adding the suffix -like to the stem od. It is not widely recognized in standard dictionaries and has no fixed, universally accepted definition in English usage. Because the base “od” can signal different ideas in different contexts, the sense of odlike is largely determined by how the author intends it.

Possible interpretations include (but are not limited to): (a) a shorthand for odor-like, used in sensory writing to indicate smell similarity to a particular odor; (b) a contraction or abbreviation involving OD (overdose) in speculative or sociological contexts, where odlike would describe behavior reminiscent of overdose; (c) a compound formed from a proper noun such as a fictional or mythological name “Od,” appearing in literature or worldbuilding; or (d) a typographical or phonetic variant of odd-like or odor-like produced by error or neologistic experimentation.

Usage notes: because odlike is not standardized, it should be defined by the writer at first use. In formal writing, it is best to avoid or to explain its intended sense; in fiction or experimental prose, odlike can serve as a deliberate neologism to convey a specific resemblance chosen by the author.

See also: odd, odor, like, neologism.