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reek

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Smoke, vapor, or foul smell; to emit such—evoking decay, battle, or hellish imagery in descriptive poetry.

Detailed Definition
“Reek” conveys oppressive atmosphere—battle reek, moral reek. In poetry, it symbolizes corruption or labor. The term’s harshness mirrors discomfort. Poets use it to create sensory immersion, where reek marks decay or industry, reinforcing themes of pollution, toil, and the body’s presence in descriptive and social verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The battlefield reeked of blood and iron,” in a visceral epic; In Shakespeare’s Macbeth: “Reeked with slaughter”; “Her kitchen reeked of herbs and warmth”; “The reek of lies filled the court”; “The dawn reeked of promise”; His breath reeked of wine and regret.
Additional Notes
“Reek” originally meant smoke (not just stink); in battle or forge scenes, “reek of war” blends visual and olfactory horror, while moral “reek” extends corruption to atmosphere itself.
Also Known As
stench fume vapor
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