What does "reek" mean?
Reek: A rick. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Additional senses
- 2.Vapor; steam; smoke; fume. As hateful to me as the reek of a limekiln. Shak.
- 3.To emit vapor, usually that which is warm and moist; to be full of fumes; to steam; to smoke; to exhale. Few chimneys reeking you shall espy. Spenser. I found me laid In balmy sweat, which with his beams the sun Soon dried, and on the reeking moisture fed. Milton. The coffee rooms reeked with tobacco. Macualay.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00