savor

[ sey-ver ]

/ ˈseɪ vər /

noun

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

a particular taste or smell.

distinctive quality or property.

power to excite or interest.

Archaic. repute.

verb (used without object)

to have savor, taste, or odor.

to exhibit the peculiar characteristics; smack (often followed by of): His business practices savor of greed.

verb (used with object)

to give a savor to; season; flavor.

to perceive by taste or smell, especially with relish: to savor the garden's odors.

to give oneself to the enjoyment of: to savor the best in life.

Nearby words

savoir-vivre, savona, savonarola, savonarola chair, savonarola, girolamo, savor, savory, savour, savoury, savoy, savoy alps

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

SYNONYMS FOR savor

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

Related forms

sa·vor·er, nounsa·vor·ing·ly, adverbsa·vor·less, adjectivesa·vor·ous, adjective

out·sa·vor, verb (used with object)un·sa·vored, adjective

Can be confusedsavior savor savory

Usage note

See -or¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for savour

Her splendid vitality had done something to life for him—had given it savour.
The Shuttle|Frances Hodgson Burnett
Their depredations do not lessen the sweetness of flowers, nor the savour of herbs.
The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, October 1879|Various
Shocked and grieved though it might or might not be, Winnebago still had the fortitude to savour this with relish.
Gigolo|Edna Ferber
I knew if those letters ceased to come all savour would go out of my life.
Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1909 to 1922|Lucy Maud Montgomery

Yet it was not pure ghoulishness; it was simply the boy's greed for experience and the savour of adventure.
The Secret Battle|A. P. Herbert

British Dictionary definitions for savour

savour

US savor

/ (ˈseɪvə) /

noun

the quality in a substance that is perceived by the sense of taste or smell

a specific taste or smellthe savour of lime

a slight but distinctive quality or trace

the power to excite interestthe savour of wit has been lost

archaic reputation

verb

(intr often foll by of) to possess the taste or smell (of)

(intr often foll by of) to have a suggestion (of)

(tr) to give a taste to; season

(tr) to taste or smell, esp appreciatively

(tr) to relish or enjoy

Derived Formssavourless or US savorless, adjectivesavorous, adjective

Word Origin for savour

C13: from Old French savour, from Latin sapor taste, from sapere to taste

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