Earthy means smelling of soil and damp woodland. An earthy smell, earthy mushrooms, earthy notes.
The smell has a name and a cause: geosmin, a compound made by soil bacteria, which the human nose detects at a few parts per trillion. It is what you smell after rain. Of a person, earthy means direct and unrefined, especially about the body. Note earth; and that the word is simply earth plus -y.
1adjectiveearthySmelling of soil and damp woodland.
“The old cellar had a cool, earthy smell of mushrooms and wet stone.”
2adjectivedirectDirect and unrefined.
“Her grandfather had an earthy sense of humour that sometimes shocked the guests.”
earthy is a quality of smell or manner.
Middle English erthy is earth plus -y. Earth is Old English and Germanic.
Middle English
erthy
English, today
earthy
From Middle English erthy, equivalent to earth + y. Compare German erdig (“earthy”), Swedish jordig (“earthy”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA