Sentence:  It was damp, it was not free from dry rot, there was a <WSD>flavor</WSD> of rats in it, and it was the gloomy victim of that indescribable decay which settles on all the work of man's hands whenever it's not turned to man's account. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The quality produced by the sensation of smell; odour; fragrance.