smolder v.

c. 1200, smellen, "emit an odor; perceive an odor" (transitive and intransitive), "use the sense of smell, inhale the odor of," not found in Old English, perhaps cognate with Middle Dutch smolen, Low German smelen "to smolder" (see smolder). However, OED writes that it is "no doubt of Old English origin, but not recorded, and not represented in any of the cognate languages." Related: Smelled or smelt; smelling.

The figurative sense of "perceive as if by smell" is from late 14c. Specifically as "smell bad, stink" by late 14c. Smell-feast (n.) "one who finds and frequents good tables, one who scents out where free food is to be had" is from 1510s ("very common" c. 1540-1700, writes OED). To smell a rat "be suspicious" is from 1540s (see rat (n.)).

c. 1400, a variant or contraction of smorther "suffocate with smoke" (c. 1200, implied in smorthering "producing noxious smoke"), from smorthre (n.) "dense, suffocating smoke, suffocating vapor" (late 12c.), which is from a suffixed form of the source of Middle English smoren (v.), Old English smorian "suffocate, choke, strangle, stifle." This is cognate with Middle Dutch smoren, German schmoren "stew, swelter;" the group is possibly connected to smolder.

The meaning "kill by suffocation in any manner, stifle the respiration of" is from 1540s; the sense of "extinguish or deaden a fire by covering it" is from 1590s. Hence the general and figurative sense of "stifle, repress," recorded from 1570s. The meaning "cover thickly (with some substance)" is from 1590s. To smother up "wrap up so as to seem or feel smothered" is from 1580s. Related: Smothered; smothering. Smotheration "act or state of being smothered" (1826) was a New England word.

see smolder. Related: Smouldered; smouldering; smoulderingly.