If an older Catalan-speaking person hears about the petrichor for the first time, it is possible that they think of the petrichó, a measure of capacity that was equivalent to a quarter of a porrón and that, with the generalization of the decimal metric system, it was agreed that it was equivalent to a quarter. of liter. Something similar happened with the old pound, which was rounded to 400 grams, and the 100 grams were used for the three ounces. Today they have practically disappeared from stores, but they still resonate in the memory of some generations.
Weights and measures were unified a long time ago in much of the world, thanks to this system and other international conventions, which have facilitated trade between countries so that each country knows the exact amount it sells and buys. By dividing a quarter of a meridian by ten million, the meter was obtained, and by freezing and boiling the water, 0º and 100º Celsius were established. However, there are still countries, like the United States, that continue with miles, gallons and degrees Fahrenheit, as if they did not have to understand each other.
Petrichor has disappeared from our vocabulary, but we have had petrichor for a while now, although they have nothing to do with it. Petrichor is, according to Termcat, the smell that rain generates when it falls on dry ground. And Obneo explains that it is “the smell that derives from an oil that oozes from certain plants during periods of drought (as a mechanism to protect the seeds and prevent them from germinating in arid periods) and that is absorbed on the surface of the rocks,” and when it rains “it is released into the air, along with another compound, geosmin (smell of the earth), and, together, they produce the distinctive and recognizable smell of petrichor.”
In fact, it is the only smell with its own name. Because when it rains, because of the electrical storm, you can also notice the smell of ozone. And we have the smell of flowers, like rose or jasmine, and aromatic plants, like savory or rosemary. But petrichor is the smell of rain on dry land and, therefore, it should not be said that "you smell petrichor", but rather that "you feel petrichor".
The word petrichor is a cult compound constructed from the prefixed form petri- 'stone' and the Greek word ichor 'blood of the Homeric gods', and “was coined in 1964 by two Australian geologists, Isabel Joy Bear and Roderick G. Thomas, in an article in the magazine Nature”, illustrates the Obneo. Right now I can't think of any more suggestive and necessary smell than this one.
