sa·vor·y 1  (s āv ə-r ē)
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adj.1. Appetizing to the taste or smell: a savory stew. 2. Piquant, pungent, or salty to the taste; not sweet. 3. Morally respectable; inoffensive: a past that was scarcely savory. n. pl. sa·vor·ies A dish of pungent taste, such as anchovies on toast or pickled fruit, sometimes served in Great Britain as an hors d'oeuvre or instead of a sweet dessert.
[Middle English savure, from Old French savoure, past participle of savourer, to taste, from Late Latin sapōrāre, from Latin sapor, flavor; see SAVOR.]
savor·i·ly adv. savor·i·ness n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
sa·vor·y 2  (s āv ə-r ē)
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n. pl. sa·vor·ies 1. An annual Mediterranean aromatic herb (Satureja hortensis) of the mint family, having pale lavender to white flowers. Also called summer savory. 2. A related Mediterranean aromatic perennial herb (Satureja montana), having white or pink flowers. Also called winter savory. 3. The leaves of either of these plants, used as seasoning.
[Middle English saverey, alteration of Old French sarree, alteration of Latin saturēia.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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