n. 1. A specific taste or smell: the savor of fresh mint. 2. The quality of something that is perceived as taste or smell: "There is little savor in dead men's meat" (Stephen Vincent Benét). 3. A distinctive quality or characteristic: enjoyed the savors of local life on their trip. v. sa·vored, sa·vor·ing, sa·vors v.intr. 1. To have a particular taste or smell: a dish that savors of curry. 2. To exhibit a specified quality or characteristic; smack: postures that savored of vanity. v.tr. 1. To taste or smell, especially with pleasure: savored each morsel of the feast. 2. To appreciate fully; enjoy or relish: I want to savor this moment of accomplishment. [Middle English savour, from Old French, from Latin sapor, from sapere, to taste; see sep- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] savor·er n. savor·ous adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.