vainu

Probably borrowed from Old East Slavic (vonjú), accusative of (vonja); compare Russian вонь (vonʹ, “stench, smell”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑi̯nu/,
• Rhymes: -ɑinu
• Hyphenation^(key): vai‧nu

vainu

1. scent (odour of a game animal as a trace sensed by a predator)

   Kun koira saa vainun, se voi seurata hirveä tuntikausia.

   When a dog gets the scent, it can chase an elk for several hours.

2. scent, sense of smell of an animal, especially of a hunting animal

   Tällä rodulla on erinomainen vainu.

   This breed's got an excellent scent.

3. (figuratively) hunch, scent
4. nose (skill in recognizing valuable information)

   Martilla on hyvä liikevainu.

   Martti has a good nose for business.

• (sense of smell): hajuaisti
• (hunch): vihi

• haju
• hajujälki

• “vainu”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-04

• avuin, nuiva, uivan, vanui

vainu f

1. inflection of vaina:
   1. accusative/instrumental singular
   2. genitive plural