he investigation of the semantic space associated with subjective affective experiences or feelings linked to odor perception has recently emerged. Because of the specificity of the emotional effects of odors, the terms derived from traditional models of emotion are unlikely to optimally account for odor-associated feelings. In this study, sets of terms derived from two traditional models, basic emotions and valence by arousal by dominance dimensional emotions, were compared with a recently elaborated olfaction-specific set of terms (Geneva Emotion and Odor Scale, GEOS). Three main criteria were considered: (a) the feeling's intensity reported in response to odors, (b) the interrater agreement concerning the reported feelings, and (c) the power to discriminate feelings evoked by various odorous substances. The evidence strongly suggested that the set of terms proposed by GEOS outperformed the terms derived from the two classical models in measuring the subjective affective experience elicited by odors. These results are interpreted with respect to a good correspondence between the functions of olfaction and the meaning conveyed by GEOS terms.