safflower

[ saf-lou-er ]

/ ˈsæfˌlaʊ ər /

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noun

a thistlelike composite plant, Carthamus tinctorius, native to the Old World, having finely toothed leaves and large, orange-red flower heads.

its dried florets, used medicinally or as a red dyestuff.

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Origin of safflower

1575–85; <Dutch saffloer<Middle French safleur, alteration (assimilated to safransaffron and fleurflower) of Italian asfori<Arabic aṣfar yellow

Words nearby safflower

safety squeeze, safety touch, safety valve, safe word, saffian, safflower, safflower oil, saffron, Safi, Safid Rud, S. Afr.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use safflower in a sentence

Furthermore, oils derived from radish seeds, safflower, and sesame were employed in cooking.
The Delectable History of Food in Ancient Egypt|Dattatreya Mandal|November 8, 2022|Realm of History
Fertilizer and fuel shortages are also making it difficult to produce crops like wheat, corn, sunflower, and safflower, complicating a critical planting season that starts in April in Ukraine.
The war in Ukraine is pushing countries short on food to famine|Clarisa Diaz|June 6, 2022|Quartz
Ukraine is the largest exporter of sunflower oil in the world, responsible for up to 46% of sunflower-seed and safflower oil production, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.
How the Ukraine-Russia Conflict Will Raise the Price of Snack Foods|Abby Vesoulis|March 7, 2022|Time
Silk dyed pink, with safflower, when heated to 400° F. becomes of a dirty white hue in the course of an hour.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure

Yellow is given with the yellow colouring matter of safflower (carthamus,) which is readily extracted by water.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
The third group includes safflower, magenta, and murexide (light shades).
Scientific American Supplement, No. 363, December 16, 1882|Various
Safflower turns yellow by the action of potassa, and the original rose shade is not restored by washing with water.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 363, December 16, 1882|Various
Safflower, saf′flow-ėr, n. an annual herbaceous composite plant, cultivated all over India for its red dye—Carthamine.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for safflower

safflower

/ (ˈsæflaʊə) /

noun

a thistle-like Eurasian annual plant, Carthamus tinctorius, having large heads of orange-yellow flowers and yielding a dye and an oil used in paints, medicines, etc: family Asteraceae (composites)

a red dye used for cotton and for colouring foods and cosmetics, or a drug obtained from the florets of this plant

Also called: false saffron

Word Origin for safflower

C16: via Dutch saffloer or German safflor from Old French saffleur, from Early Italian saffiore, of uncertain origin. Influenced by saffron, flower

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012