Definition of "effluvium" [ef•flu•vi•um]

• A usually invisible emanation or exhalation, as of vapor or gas. (noun)
• A byproduct or residue; waste. (noun)
• The odorous fumes given off by waste or decaying matter. (noun)
• An impalpable emanation; an aura. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "A hair loss condition called telogen effluvium, which is triggered by a significant event that takes a toll on our body -- for example, childbirth, a car accident, a death of a significant other and even dramatic weight loss can prompt hair follicles to go through the death phase telogen phase."
• "You are experiencing a common problem called telogen effluvium, which is the medical term for acute hair loss due to a metabolic, hormonal or drug stress."
• "I need scarcely expatiate upon the delicate and long-continuing fragrance which this luxuriant perfume imparts to all things with which it comes in contact; it is peculiarly calculated for the drawer, writing-desk, &c. since its aroma is totally unmingled with that most disagreeable effluvium, which is ever proceeding from alcohol."