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.

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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.

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Related Words

See taste.

Other Word Forms

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

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,” ( 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

Topping it off, McCormick shareholders will go from owning a tightly focused spice-and- flavor company to holding a minority stake in a sprawling global foods giant.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Instead, let it warm gently in the finished sauce, absorbing flavor while staying tender.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

But those figures fail to communicate the raw flavor of the budget cuts or how they’re described in the 92-page document.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

Use ready-made powerhouses Miso, canned beans, coconut cream, good stock: ingredients that arrive already carrying flavor.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

After the cacophony of shattering sugar, it does not take long for the diners to realize that, though the globes appeared identical, each of them has been presented with an entirely unique flavor.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

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