musk
A strong-smelling secretion produced by certain animals — deer, muskrats, musk oxen, some snakes and beetles — from specialized glands, used for territorial marking, mate attraction, and defense. In tracking, the smell of musk can be sign itself: the sharp, pungent tang of a rutting buck, the oily sweetness near a muskrat lodge, the acrid warning scent of a startled snake. Your nose is a tracking tool, and musk is what it reads.
Etymology
Late Latin muscus, from Persian mushk, from Sanskrit muṣká, meaning testicle — the musk gland of the musk deer is located near the abdomen and was associated with the reproductive organs. The word traveled the Silk Road with the substance.
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