the smell of rain woke her up

[alpacinou]

I want to say the smell of rain woke someone up. Can I use "petrichor"?

Is this okay?

She woke to the petrichor emanating from the garden outside her house.

 

[Skrej]

You can. It's not at all a common word. I only first learned of a few years ago. I would wager that very few readers would know what it means.

 

[SoothingDave]

I've never heard of anyone waking up to the smell of rain. And I don't know what "petrichlor" is. It sounds like a chemical. Maybe something you use in your pool.

 

[Rover_KE]

Only if you know your readers possess a more than average-sized dictionary.

(cross-posted)

 

[alpacinou]

I actually learned this word from emsr2d2 who mentioned it's not a commonly used term albeit a nice one.

 

[alpacinou]

Welcome to Macmillan Education Customer Support

 

[Rover_KE]

‘She woke to the petrichor ..’ is acceptable, but (in reference to your preamble) I can’t believe it’s strong enough to wake her up as, for instance, the smell of smoke might.