smog
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GC: n

S: EPA – https://bit.ly/2Rlqj32 (last access: 12 April 2019); SD – https://bit.ly/2sO8DBh (last access: 12 April 2019).

N: 1. 1905, blend of smoke and fog, formed “after Lewis Carrol’s example” (Klein; see portmanteau). Reputedly coined in reference to London, and first attested there in a paper read by Dr. H.A. des Voeux, treasurer of the Coal Smoke Abatement Society, though he seems not to have claimed credit for coining it.
At a recent health congress in London, a member used a new term to indicate a frequent London condition, the black fog, which is not unknown in other large cities and which has been the cause of a great deal of bad language in the past. The word thus coined is a contraction of smoke fog “smog” -and its introduction was received with applause as being eminently expressive and appropriate. It is not exactly a pretty word, but it fits very well the thing it represents, and it has only to become known to be popular. (“Journal of the American Medical Association,” Aug. 26, 1905).
Smaze (with haze (n.)) is from 1953.
2. (A) dense atmospheric mixture of smoke and fog or chemical fumes, commonly occurring in urban or industrial areas.
3. smog: term standardized by Environment Canada and the Translation Bureau for use in the Air Pollutant Emission Inventory Report.
4. At least two distinct types of smog are recognized: sulfurous smog and photochemical smog.

  • Sulfurous smog, which is also called “London smog,” results from a high concentration of sulfur oxides in the air and is caused by the use of sulfur-bearing fossil fuels, particularly coal. This type of smog is aggravated by dampness and a high concentration of suspended particulate matter in the air.
  • Photochemical smog, which is also known as “Los Angeles smog,” occurs most prominently in urban areas that have large numbers of automobiles. It requires neither smoke nor fog. This type of smog has its origin in the nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbon vapours emitted by automobiles and other sources, which then undergo photochemical reactions in the lower atmosphere

S: 1. OED – https://bit.ly/2G6qtH9 (last access: 12 April 2019). 2 & 3. TERMIUM PLUS – https://bit.ly/2Z8MFsP (last access: 12 April 2019). 4. EncBrit – https://bit.ly/2IvW89r (last access: 12 April 2019).

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CR: fog, haze.