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Savory vs Savour - What's the difference?

savory | savour |

As nouns the difference between savory and savour

is that savory is a snack or savory can be any of several mediterranean herbs, of the genus , grown as culinary flavourings while savour is the specific taste or smell of something.

As an adjective savory

is tasty, attractive to the palate.

As a verb savour is

to possess a particular taste or smell, or a distinctive quality.

savory

English

(wikipedia savory)

Alternative forms

* savoury (British)

Etymology 1

From the (etyl) savoure, from savourer, from (etyl) saporare, from sapor

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Tasty, attractive to the palate.
    • The fine restaurant presented an array of savory dishes; each was delicious.
  • Salty or non-sweet.
    • The mushrooms, meat, bread, rice, peanuts and potatoes were all good savory foods.
  • Not overly sweet.
    • The savory duck contrasted well with the sweet sauce.
  • (figuratively) Morally or ethically acceptable.
    • Readers are to be warned that quotations in this chapter contain some not so savory language.
    Synonyms
    * See also

    Noun

    (savories)
  • A snack.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2007, date=April 18, author=Florence Fabricant, title=Off the Menu, work=New York Times citation
    • , passage=P*ONG On Friday the pastry chef Pichet Ong will open his own cafe, with sweets and savories served at tables and a counter. }}

    Etymology 2

    (Satureja) Possibly from (etyl) saetherie, from (etyl) satureia, influenced by or via (etyl) savereie

    Noun

    (savories)
  • Any of several Mediterranean herbs, of the genus , grown as culinary flavourings.
  • The leaves of these plants used as a flavouring.
    • Derived terms
    * summer savory * winter savory

    savour

    English

    Alternative forms

    * savor (chiefly US)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The specific taste or smell of something.
  • *1898 , , (Moonfleet), Ch.5:
  • *:He held out to me a bowl of steaming broth, that filled the room with a savour sweeter, ten thousand times, to me than every rose and lily of the world; yet would not let me drink it at a gulp, but made me sip it with a spoon like any baby.
  • *
  • *:Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence. She devoured with more avidity than she had her food those pretentiously phrased chronicles of the snobocracy […] distilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its savour .
  • A distinctive sensation.
  • *(Richard Baxter) (1615-1691)
  • *:Why is not my life a continual joy, and the savour of heaven perpetually upon my spirit?
  • Sense of smell; power to scent, or trace by scent.
  • *(George Herbert) (1593-1633)
  • *:beyond my savour

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • to possess a particular taste or smell, or a distinctive quality.
  • * Shakespeare
    • This savours not much of distraction.
  • * Addison
    • I have rejected everything that savours of party.
  • * Rev. Joseph Bellamy
    • Begone, thou impudent wretch, to hell, thy proper place: thou art a despiser of my glorious majesty, and your frame of spirit savours of blasphemy.
  • to appreciate, enjoy or relish something.