Adjacent Words

Savor definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SA'VOR, n. [L. sapor, sapio, to taste.]
1. Taste or odor; something that perceptibly affects the organs of taste and smell; as the savor of an orange or rose; an ill savor; a sweet savor.
I smell sweet savors -
In Scripture, it usually denotes smell, scent, odor.
Leviticus 26. Ecclesiastes 10.
2. The quality which renders a thing valuable; the quality which renders other bodies agreeable to the taste.
If the salt hath lost its savor - Matthew 5.
3. In Scripture, character; reputation. Exodus 5.
4. Cause; occasion. 2 Corinthians 2.
Sweet savor, in Scripture, denotes that which renders a thing acceptable to God, or his acceptance. Hence, to smell a sweet savor, is to accept the offering or service. Genesis 8.
SA'VOR, v.i.
1. To have a particular smell or taste.
2. To partake of the quality or nature of; or to have the appearance of. The answers savor of a humble spirit; or they savor of pride.
I have rejected every thing that savors of party.
SA'VOR, v.t.
1. To like; to taste or smell with pleasure.
2. To like; to delight in; to favor. Matthew 16.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the taste experience when a savoury condiment is taken into the mouth [syn: relish, flavor, flavour, sapidity, savor, savour, smack, nip, tang] v
1: derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in; "She relished her fame and basked in her glory" [syn: enjoy, bask, relish, savor, savour]
2: have flavor; taste of something [syn: taste, savor, savour]
3: taste appreciatively; "savor the soup" [syn: savor, savour]
4: give taste to [syn: savor, savour]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun also savour Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French savur, from Latin sapor, from sapere to taste — more at sage Date: 13th century 1. the taste or smell of something 2. a particular flavor or smell 3. a distinctive quality • savorless adjective • savorous adjective II. verb also savour (savored; also savoured; savoring; also savouring) Date: 14th century intransitive verb to have a specified smell or quality ; smack transitive verb 1. to give flavor to ; season 2. a. to have experience of ; taste b. to taste or smell with pleasure ; relish c. to delight in ; enjoy <savoring the moment> • savorer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

US var. of SAVOUR.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Savor Sa"vor, n. [OE. savour, savor, savur, OF. savor, savour, F. saveur, fr. L. sapor, fr. sapere to taste, savor. See Sage, a., and cf. Sapid, Insipid, Sapor.] [Written also savour.] 1. That property of a thing which affects the organs of taste or smell; taste and odor; flavor; relish; scent; as, the savor of an orange or a rose; an ill savor. I smell sweet savors and I feel soft things. --Shak. 2. Hence, specific flavor or quality; characteristic property; distinctive temper, tinge, taint, and the like. Why is not my life a continual joy, and the savor of heaven perpetually upon my spirit? --Baxter. 3. Sense of smell; power to scent, or trace by scent. [R.] ``Beyond my savor.'' --Herbert. 4. Pleasure; delight; attractiveness. [Obs.] She shall no savor have therein but lite. --Chaucer. Syn: Taste; flavor; relish; odor; scent; smell.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Savor Sa"vor, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Savored; p. pr. & vb. n. Savoring.] [Cf. OF. savorer, F. savourer. See Savor, n.] [Written also savour.] 1. To have a particular smell or taste; -- with of. 2. To partake of the quality or nature; to indicate the presence or influence; to smack; -- with of. This savors not much of distraction. --Shak. I have rejected everything that savors of party. --Addison. 3. To use the sense of taste. [Obs.] By sight, hearing, smelling, tasting or savoring, and feeling. --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Savor Sa"vor, v. t. 1. To perceive by the smell or the taste; hence, to perceive; to note. [Obs.] --B. Jonson. 2. To have the flavor or quality of; to indicate the presence of. [R.] That cuts us off from hope, and savors only Rancor and pride, impatience and despite. --Milton. 3. To taste or smell with pleasure; to delight in; to relish; to like; to favor. [R.] --Shak.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

sa'-ver (reach; osme;

(1) The primary meaning of the word is "taste," "flavor" (from Latin sapor, "taste"). So in Mt 5:13; Lu 14:34, "if the salt have lost its savor" (moranthe, "become tasteless," "insipid," so as to lose its characteristic preserving virtue).

(2) But generally it has the meaning of "smell," "odor":

(a) once of evil odor: "Its stench shall come up, and its ill savor shall come up" (Joe 2:20);

(b) elsewhere in the sense of pleasant smell. In the Old Testament, with the exception of Ex 5:21 and the King James Version So 1:3 (the Revised Version (British and American) "fragrance"), it is always accompanied by the adjective "sweet." It stands for the smell of sacrifices and oblations, in agreement with the ancient anthropomorphic idea that God smells and is pleased with the fragrance of sacrifices (e.g. "Yahweh smelled the sweet savor," Ge 8:21; "to make a sweet savor unto Yahweh," Nu 15:3; and frequently).

In the New Testament, "savor" in the sense of smell is used metaphorically:

(a) once the metaphor is borrowed from the incense which attends the victor's triumphal procession; God is said to make manifest through His apostles "the savor of his knowledge in every place" as He "leadeth" them "in triumph in Christ" (2Co 2:14; see TRIUMPH.

(b) Elsewhere the metaphor is borrowed from the fragrant smell of the sacrifices. The apostles "are a sweet savor of Christ unto God" (2Co 2:15), i.e. they are, as it were, a sweet odor for God to smell, an odor which is pleasing to God, even though its effect upon men varies (to some it is a "savor from death unto death," i.e. such as is emitted by death and itself causes death; to others it is "a savor from life unto life," 2Co 2:16). By the same sacrificial metaphor, Christ's offering of Himself to God is said to be "for a sweet smelling savor" (Eph 5:2 the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) "for an odor of a sweet smell"; the same phrase is used in Php 4:18 of acts of kindness to Paul, which were "a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God").

(3) Once it is used in the figurative sense of reputation: "Ye have made our savor to be abhorred (literally, "our smell to stink") in the eyes of Pharaoh" (Ex 5:21). Compare the English phrase, "to be in bad odor."

The verb "to savor" means:

(1) intransitively, to taste or smell of, to partake of the quality of something, as in the Preface of the King James Version, "to savour more of curiosity than wisdome," or

(2) transitively, to perceive by the taste or smell, to discern: "thou savourest not the things that be of God" (the King James Version Mt 16:23; Mr 8:33, the Revised Version (British and American) "mindest"; phroneis; Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) sapis). The adjective "savory" occurs only in Ge 27:4,7,9,14,17,31 ("savory food") and the Revised Version (British and American) Isa 30:24 (margin "salted").

D. Miall Edwards

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Taste, flavor, relish, gust, smack, goût. 2. Odor, scent, smell, fragrance. 3. Characteristic property, distinctive temper. 4. Character, reputation. II. v. n. 1. Taste, smack. 2. Partake, have a touch of, betoken, smack. III. v. a. Like, relish, enjoy, appreciate, affect.

Moby Thesaurus

adore, aftertaste, appreciate, ardency, ardor, aroma, attribute, badge, bask in, be fond of, be partial to, be pleased with, bitter, bouquet, brand, break bread, breath, cachet, cast, character, characteristic, cherish, configuration, count calories, cut, dash, definite odor, delight in, derive pleasure from, descry, detect, detectable odor, devour, diet, differentia, differential, discern, distinctive feature, earmark, eat, eat up, ecstasy, effluvium, emanation, enjoy, essence, excitement, exhalation, experience, fall to, fare, feast on, feature, feed, fervency, fervidness, fervor, figure, fire, flavor, fragrance, freak out on, fume, furor, fury, get high on, gloat over, groove on, gust, gusto, hallmark, heart, heartiness, heat, hint, hunger, identify, idiocrasy, idiosyncrasy, impassionedness, impress, impression, index, individualism, indulge in, keynote, know, like, lineaments, liveliness, love, luxuriate in, mannerism, mark, marking, mold, nature, note, notice, observe, odor, palate, partake, partake of, particularity, passion, passionateness, peculiarity, pepper, perceive, perfume, piquancy, pitch in, property, quality, quirk, redolence, rejoice in, relish, revel in, riot in, salt, sample, sapidity, sapor, sauce, savoriness, scent, seal, season, sense, shape, singularity, sip, smack, smack the lips, smell, soul, soupcon, sour, specialty, spice, spirit, spoor, stamp, stench, stomach, subtle odor, suggestion, sup, sweet, swim in, taint, take, take pleasure in, tang, taste, taste of, token, tongue, tooth, trace, trail, trait, trick, value, vehemence, verve, wallow in, warmth, warmth of feeling, whiff, zeal, zest