olemus

Olemus is a Latin term that functions as a form of the verb olere, meaning to smell. It is the first-person plural present indicative active, yielding the English translation “we smell.” Olere belongs to the second conjugation, and olemus follows the standard 1st person plural ending for this class of verbs.

In Latin spelling, the form olemus appears in classical and later texts where the sense of smell is described directly. As with other Latin verb forms, it agrees with a plural subject, so its meaning shifts with who is being described. The pronunciation in classical Latin would be roughly o-LE-mus, with the vowel typically long in careful philology.

Usage and context: olemus is primarily encountered as a grammatical form rather than as an independent lexical entry. It is most commonly found in literal descriptions of odor or perceivable scent, and less frequently in figurative or poetic language where odor-related imagery is invoked. Because olere is not among the most frequent verbs in everyday Latin prose, olemus is not as widely attested as forms from more common verbs, but it remains a representative example of present indicative morphology in the Latin second conjugation.

See also: Latin verb conjugation, olere, Latin phonology.