flavor

American  

[fley-ver] / ˈfleɪ vər /

especially British, flavour

noun

1. taste, especially the distinctive taste of something as it is experienced in the mouth.

2. a substance or extract that provides a particular taste; flavoring.

   Synonyms:

   seasoning

3. the characteristic quality of a thing.

   He captured the flavor of the experience in his book.

   Synonyms:

   spirit, essence

4. a particular quality noticeable in a thing.

   language with a strong nautical flavor.

5. Physics. any of the six labels given to the distinct kinds of quark: up, down, strange, charm, bottom, and top.

6. Archaic. smell, odor, or aroma.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to give flavor to (something).

flavor Scientific  

/ flā′vər /

1. Any of six classifications of quark varieties, distinguished by mass and electric charge. The flavors have the names up, down, strange, charm, top, and bottom. Protons in atomic nuclei are composed of two up quarks and one down quark, while neutrons consist of one up quark and two down quarks. The flavor of a quark may be changed in interactions involving the weak force.

---

Synonym Usage

See taste.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• well-flavored
  adjective
• overflavor
  verb
• unflavored
  adjective
• flavorless
  adjective
• preflavor
  noun
• deflavor
  verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of flavor

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French fla(o)ur, from unattested Late Latin flātor “stench, breath,” alteration of Latin flātus a “blowing, breathing,” ( see flatus), perhaps with -or of fētor fetor

Explanation

Flavor is the way something tastes. If an ice cream shop offers 50 flavors, each one of them will taste different. The flavor of your soup can be adjusted by adding salt — and when you add ingredients to change a food's taste, you can say you flavor it. From the flavor of food comes the sense of flavor meaning "atmosphere" or "feeling." You could say, for example, that you're not crazy about a particular clothing shop because it has such a glitzy, expensive flavor. Flavor initially meant "smell," from the Vulgar Latin flator, "odor."

Example Sentences

So drink in the passion, enjoy the international flavor.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026

Such a noble flavor combo deserved permanent shelf space.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

For thousands of years, people have used salt to flavor and preserve food.

From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2026

Given enough time, they become sweet, savory and almost improbably rich, developing a depth of flavor that feels far meatier than the humble vegetable itself.

From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026

But Maya-Jade’s catastrophe was of a different flavor.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Related Words

• acidity
• aroma
• essence
• extract
• seasoning
• sweetness
• zest