Petrichor

From A Word A Day – http://wordsmith.org/words/petrichor.html

petrichor (PET-ri-kuhr) noun

The pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell.

[From petro- (rock), from Greek petros (stone) + ichor (the fluid that is supposed to flow in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology). Coined by researchers I.J. Bear and R.G. Thomas.]

“Petrichor, the name for the smell of rain on dry ground, is from oils given off by vegetation, absorbed onto neighboring surfaces, and released into the air after a first rain.”

Had a pleasant afternoon drinking coffee with  Bicky, Ming and Chico. We form quite an interesting group, one American, two Filipinos and  one Singaporean. Of course the conversation has to revolve from how many bars does a coffee maker produce (4 bars) to the word used to describe the earthy smell one gets when it starts to rain.

Petrichor.