I don't usually think of the "scent" of a soap; rather, it "smells" good or bad. Is there a difference?
"Scent" vs. "Smell" Is there a whiff of a diff[erence]
- Thread starter Lmarkow
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Something smells, but it has a scent.
The scent is what you smell. Smelling is something you do with your nose/sense of smell.
Actually, smell can be a noun or a verb. Scent is a noun only.
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So, soap can have a scent or a smell. Yet, most members refer to the soap's "scent." Perhaps nice smelling stuff has a scent; the Veg, a smell?
A soap can be "scented," however. I suppose that means that I can "scent" a soap, in that use of it "scent" being a verb. <g> Sorry not trying to be a jerk or to troll. Just a bit of exposure of my rambling mind!
I would say that "scent" and "smell" used as nouns in reference to soaps, have largely overlapping meanings, but slightly different connotations. Typical of the English language, things can be said many different ways, with many different words, often with subtle differences in meaning/connotation/effect. FWIW!
The way I see it is that the scent is the objective output of an object's molecular composition and the smell is how the person perceives it.
I smell a beautiful scent coming from the direction of that new secretary. She smells like a bouquet of roses and sandalwood. I love the scent of sandalwood especially when combined with roses. It's the most extraordinary smell. And so on.
