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definitions
  • synonyms

savor

[sey-ver]
noun
  1. the quality in a substance that affects the sense of taste or of smell.
  2. a particular taste or smell.
  3. distinctive quality or property.
  4. power to excite or interest.
  5. Archaic. repute.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to have savor, taste, or odor.
  2. to exhibit the peculiar characteristics; smack (often followed by of): His business practices savor of greed.
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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.
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Also especially British, sa·vour.

Origin of savor

1175–1225; (noun) Middle English sav(o)ur < Old French savour < Latin sapōrem, accusative of sapor taste, derivative of sapere to taste (cf. sapient); (v.) Middle English sav(o)uren < Old French savourer < Late Latin sapōrāre, derivative of sapor
Related formssa·vor·er, nounsa·vor·ing·ly, adverbsa·vor·less, adjectivesa·vor·ous, adjectiveout·sa·vor, verb (used with object)un·sa·vored, adjective
Can be confusedsavior savor savory

Synonyms

1. relish, smack; odor, scent, fragrance. See taste.

Usage note

See -or1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

sip, taste, appreciate, smell, relish, scent, zest, tang, odor, smack, tinge, piquancy, salt, spice, affection, attribute, character, feature, mark, excitement

Examples from the Web for savors

Historical Examples

  • Anything that savors of the pedantic is to be strictly avoided.

    College Teaching

    Paul Klapper

  • But anything that savors of injustice exasperates me to the degree of frenzy.

    The House

    Eugene Field

  • It is, perhaps, too intimate; it savors slightly of the Mrchen.

    The Translations of Beowulf

    Chauncey Brewster Tinker

  • It savors of kitchen mechanics, and, what is more, I do not wear a bonnet.

    Sisters

    Grace May North

  • Methinks it savors of the fashions of the late queen's reign.

Word Origin and History for savors

savor

n.

mid-13c., from Old French savor "flavor, taste; sauce, seasoning; delight, pleasure," from Latin saporem (nominative sapor) "taste, flavor," related to sapere "to have a flavor" (see sapient).

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savor

v.

c.1300, from Old French savorer "taste, breathe in; appreciate, care for," from Late Latin saporare, from Latin sapor (see savor (n.)). Related: Savored; savoring.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper