savor

[ sey-ver ]

See synonyms for: savor savored savoring savorless on Thesaurus.com

noun

the quality in a substance that affects the sense of taste or of smell.
a particular taste or smell.

distinctive quality or property.
power to excite or interest.
Archaic. repute.

verb (used without object)

to have savor, taste, or odor.
to exhibit the peculiar characteristics; smack (often followed by of): His business practices savor of greed.

verb (used with object)

to give a savor to; season; flavor.
to perceive by taste or smell, especially with relish: to savor the garden's odors.

to give oneself to the enjoyment of: to savor the best in life.

Origin of savor

First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English sav(o)ur, from Old French savour, from Latin sapōrem, accusative of sapor “taste,” derivative of sapere “to taste” (cf. sapient); (verb) Middle English sav(o)uren, from Old French savourer, from Late Latin sapōrāre, derivative of sapor

Also especially British, sa·vour .

synonym study For savor

1. See taste.

usage note For savor

See -or¹.

Other words for savor

1	relish, smack; odor, scent, fragrance

See synonyms for savor on Thesaurus.com

Other words from savor

sa·vor·er, noun
sa·vor·ing·ly, adverb
sa·vor·less, adjective
sa·vor·ous, adjective
outsavor, verb (used with object)
un·sa·vored, adjective

Words that may be confused with savor

savior, savor , savory

How to use savor in a sentence

Hitchcock stops, savoring the scene, and repeats that the robes are open.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Beltrán Leyva, a gourmand, was savoring his tamale with its filling of roasted corn.
Trading Dime Bags for Salvador Dali | Jason McGahan | October 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Instead of savoring those final bows, he says, "I'm tired of opening letters that say, 'Go to hell, Palmer.'"
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up | Tom Boswell | September 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A mass of people rush by them, but as with thousands of other people on Oak Street, the men just chew, savoring every bite.
New Orleans Celebrates Its Favorite Sandwich at the Oak Street Po-Boy Festival | Tyler Gillespie | November 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
There is a distinct difference between gorging and slowly savoring a meal.
‘House of Cards’: Should You Binge-Watch Netflix’s Political Drama? | Jace Lacob | February 5, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

A strange doctrine, that; savoring perhaps of heterodoxy, and perilous to be adopted by such as can not fathom it thoroughly.
Sword and Gown | George A. Lawrence
Nobody else was there and he walked over to the railing and leaned on it, looking across the water and savoring loneliness.
The Sensitive Man | Poul William Anderson
It would be a book savoring not of white alcohol but of the salty unshed Tears, the dry artistic Griefs of Josephina.
I, Mary MacLane | Mary MacLane
He disappeared in answer to a telephone call, and she closed her eyes, savoring the pleasure of the little scene.
The Squirrel-Cage | Dorothy Canfield
Unlike the Thoracic, he avoids extremes in everything and dislikes anything savoring of the "showy" or conspicuous.
How to Analyze People on Sight | Elsie Lincoln Benedict and Ralph Paine Benedict

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