Up: [[Words, Beautiful and Otherwise]] Created: 2024-02-26 Petrichor is the word for that wonderful fresh and earthy scent that comes after a rain. The term was coined back in 1964, in an article in *Nature* by two mineralogists Isabel Joy Bear and R.G. Thomas. The breakdown is *petr* for rock or stone. And *ichor* which has a gorgeous etymology. It refers to the ambrosial liquid that was said to run through the veins of Greek Gods. The scent happens when oils that accumulate on rocks and vegetation are released after rain.