reukweg

Reukweg, literally translated as “smell path” in Dutch, is a term that appears in Dutch-language discourse with several related but distinct senses. Because it is not a fixed technical term across disciplines, its meaning depends on context.

In anatomy and medicine, reukweg can be used informally to describe the olfactory pathway—the route by which odor information travels from the nasal epithelium to the brain. In formal Dutch anatomical terminology, this pathway involves structures such as the olfactory nerve (reukzenuw), the olfactory bulb, and the olfactory tract (reukpad), but lay usage may use reukweg as a shorthand for this route.

In environmental health and odor science, reukweg may denote the path by which odorant molecules move from a source to receptors in the environment, including factors like air movement and atmospheric dispersion. In this sense, the term is connected to odor nuisance assessments and exposure modeling.

In other contexts, reukweg can appear in literature, branding, or as a figurative expression for a process influenced by smell or sensory perception.

Etymology: from reuk (smell) and weg (path, way).

See also: Olfactory system; Olfactory tract; Odor dispersion; Odor nuisance.