savor

especially British, sa·vour

[sey-ver]

noun

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

   Synonyms: fragrance, scent, odor, smack, relish

2. a particular taste or smell.

3. distinctive quality or property.

4. power to excite or interest.

5. Archaic.,  repute.

verb (used without object)

1. to have savor, taste, or odor.

2. to exhibit the peculiar characteristics; smack (often followed byof ).

   His business practices savor of greed.

verb (used with object)

1. to give a savor to; season; flavor.

2. to perceive by taste or smell, especially with relish.

   to savor the garden's odors.

3. to give oneself to the enjoyment of.

   to savor the best in life.

Spelling Note

See -or ¹.

Other Word Forms

• savorer noun
• savoringly adverb
• savorless adjective
• savorous adjective
• outsavor verb (used with object)
• unsavored adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of savor¹

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” ( sapient ); (verb) Middle English sav(o)uren, from Old French savourer, from Late Latin sapōrāre, derivative of sapor

Synonym Study

See taste.

Example Sentences

Guillermo del Toro renders this with a small sunlit vision: a hulking figure perched on a rooftop, savoring a loaf left out for the spirit the villagers imagine him to be.

Read more on Salon

We’re built to be unsatisfied, Mr. Kukushkin argues, and so he advises us to savor the search, find joy in the moment.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It is a book best read in slow, savored segments and not rushed through multiple successive reads for the purposes of a review.

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“Just imagine,” Khrushchev continued, savoring the moment, “what would have happened had a Soviet aircraft appeared over New York, Chicago or Detroit! How would the United States have reacted?”

Read more on Literature

But when it comes to the kind of coffee I choose to savor, I’ve struggled to quit instant coffee for good.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• appreciate 
• luxuriate in www.thesaurus.com
• relish 
• revel in www.thesaurus.com
• sip 
• smell 
• taste