whiff
/wɪf/ noun C1- A brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of air; a waft.
- A short inhalation or exhalation of breath, especially when accompanied by smoke from a cigarette or pipe.
- An odour (usually unpleasant) carried briefly through the air.
- A small quantity of cloud, smoke, vapour, etc.; specifically (obsolete), chiefly in take the whiff: a puff of tobacco smoke.
- A flag used as a signal.
- Any of a number of flatfish such as (dated) the lemon sole (Microstomus kitt) and now, especially, the megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis) and (with a descriptive word) a species of large-tooth flounder or sand flounder (family Paralichthyidae).
- A slight sign of something; a burst, a glimpse, a hint.
- A slight attack or touch.
Plural whiffs
From the library
Birds sang around Green Gables; the Madonna lilies in the garden sent out whiffs of perfume that entered in on viewless winds at every door and window, and wandered through halls and rooms like spirits of benediction.
Have you ever caught a sudden whiff of pine needles or fresh rain and felt instantly transported to another time?
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