malodorant

(mal.OH.dur.unt)

n.

A foul smell; a weapon that uses a foul smell to disorient an attacker. — adj.

Example Citation:

The National Research Council panel wrote that it doesn't consider malodorants to be "chemical weapons," which are outlawed by international treaty.

But others disagree. "A malodorant is a chemical compound which exerts a temporary incapacitating effect on people, and in my view it's a toxic chemical under the Chemical Weapons Convention," said Mark Wheelis, a microbiologist at UC Davis who has written widely on chemical weaponry.

— Aaron Zitner, "Best Defense May Be a Good, Offensive Stench," Los Angeles Times, November 10, 2002

Earliest Citation:

Nippon Shokubai Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. has developed and commenced sample shipping three new types of catalyst for use in treating waste gases, malodorants, and organic solvents.

— "Nippon Shokubai develops three new catalysts," Comline: Chemical Industry of Japan, July 4, 1991

Earliest Citation (weapon):

The Navy is also in the process of awarding Raytheon Company one to two year seed money (around $400,000) for NL payloads that can be dispensed from Extended Range Guided Munitions (ERGM) ship-launched munitions. The contract is part of the service's Technology Investment Program. Again, the payload could be sting balls or an encapsulated malodorant which could work as an area denial weapon.

— Lisa Troshinsky, "Non-Lethal Programs Will Enhance Navy And Marine Warfighting," Navy News and Undersea Technology, May 10, 1999

Notes:

A malodorant is an example of a non-lethal weapon, or a weapon designed to subdue, disorient, or knock out an opponent, but not to kill that opponent. A malodorant is also called an odor weapon, a stink weapon, or (of course) a stink bomb. Whatever the name, it gives new meaning to the military abbreviation AOS — all options stink.

Related Words:

bioterrorist

dark biology

odortype

stink lines

weaponize

weapons-grade

Categories:

Science (General)

Military