Meaning of "the waft of"?

Question

> Now he was beginning to have the waft of an old man who hadn't bathed for several days.The meaning of the sentence is absolutely clear to me, since the second part of the sentence explains the meaning.But I have only a rough perception what the exact meaning of *a waft of* is.I found this explanation of *waft*:> To cause to go gently and smoothly through the air or over water.And *to waft* means:> to move, or make something move, gently through the airBut at this point I stuck and I fail to figure out the exact meaning. It sounds like it means the smell itself in an foul-smelling way, but then it would be rather uncouth.Am I headed in the right direction or has *a waft of* a deeper meaning?

Answer 1

The Origin of the word is 16th Century and usually used when speaking of Ships and escorting them. But then over time the word takes on new meanings. The latest definition is

:(with reference to a scent, sound, etc.) pass or cause to pass gently through the air.

no object, with adverbial of direction ‘the smell of stale fat wafted out from the cafe’

with object and adverbial of direction ‘each breeze would waft pollen round the house’

This is from the Lexico Oxford dictionary online. So it does not necessary have a negative or positive connotation to it, it depends on the smell the author is trying to convey.