saffron

American  

[saf-ruhn] / ˈsæf rən /

noun

saffrons plural

1. Also called vegetable gold.  a crocus, Crocus sativus, having showy purple flowers.

2. an orange-colored condiment consisting of its dried stigmas, used to color and flavor foods.

3. Also saffron yellow a yellowish-orange color.

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saffron British  

/ ˈsæfrən /

noun

1. an Old World crocus, Crocus sativus, having purple or white flowers with orange stigmas

2. the dried stigmas of this plant, used to flavour or colour food

3. another name for autumn crocus

4. another name for safflower

5. 1. an orange to orange-yellow colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a saffron dress

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• saffrons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of saffron

1150–1200; Middle English saffran, saffron Old French safran < Medieval Latin saffrānum < Arabic zaʿfarān

Compare meaning

How does saffron compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• safflower vs. saffron

Explanation

Saffron is a deep yellow-orange colored spice that's commonly used in Middle Eastern and South Asian food. Because it's quite expensive, saffron is usually sold in small quantities. Saffron looks like short, feathery threads — it's made from dried crocus stigmas, the thin stems at the center of the flower. A pinch of saffron, sometimes soaked in water, gives food a subtle sweet, grassy flavor and often a hint of orange or yellow color. This color itself is also called saffron. The word saffron comes from the Old French safran, by way of the Medieval Latin safranum, ultimately from the Arabic root az-za'faran.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

saffron saffrons

We hovered over saffron tea surrounded by other young Southern Californians, and we looked like friends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026

Leading the procession has been Bhikkhu Pannakara, a Vietnamese monk whose saffron sash is adorned with sheriff badges from the many counties that have hosted them and secured the roads.

From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026

Hailed as the “Queen of Spices,” green cardamom is one of the most expensive spices in the world, ranking third after saffron and vanilla.

From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2026

AGZ contains the herb ashwagandha along with magnesium, the spice saffron and more than a dozen other ingredients.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025

Instead of the slip, she was wearing a robe of cherry silk embroidered with blossoms of white and saffron.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Costumes are colored tights in purples, greens, saffrons, with unobtrusive matching jackets.

From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2018

How quickly the subtle browns and saffrons and vermilions fade!

From Musical Portraits Interpretations of Twenty Modern Composers by Rosenfeld, Paul

On that evening, I remember, the reds and saffrons in the sky were of an astonishing richness.

From In and out of Three Normady Inns by Dodd, Anna Bowman

The effect was exquisite, the window a veritable masterpiece, glowing, flaming, and burning with a hundred tints and colours—opalescent, purple, wine-red, clouded pinks, royal blues, saffrons, violets so dark as to be almost black.

From The Octopus : A story of California by Norris, Frank

Higher the waves rolled—phosphorescent green and iridescent violet, weird copperous yellows and metallic saffrons and a shimmer of glittering ash of rose—then wavered, split and formed into gigantic, sparkling, marching curtains of splendor.

From The Metal Monster by Merritt, Abraham