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sa·vor·y 1 (sāvə-rē)
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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 (sāvə-rē)
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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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