A slight or invisible exhalation or vapor, especially one that is disagreeable or noxious. The effluvium from the factory was noticeable even from a distance.
An unpleasant or harmful odor, secretion, or discharge. The effluvium from the decaying matter made it difficult to breathe in the area.
A by-product or outflow, especially an intangible or culturally undesirable one. The novel explores the moral effluvium of political corruption.