What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Savour vs Devour - What's the difference?

savour | devour |

As verbs the difference between savour and devour

is that savour is to possess a particular taste or smell, or a distinctive quality while devour is to eat quickly, greedily, hungrily, or ravenously.

As a noun savour

is the specific taste or smell of something.

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.
  • devour

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To eat quickly, greedily, hungrily, or ravenously.
  • To rapidly destroy, engulf, or lay waste.
  • :
  • *Bible, (w) i. 20
  • If ye refuseye shall be devoured with the sword.
  • *{{quote-book, year=2006, author=(w)
  • , chapter=1, title= Internal Combustion , passage=Blast after blast, fiery outbreak after fiery outbreak, like a flaming barrage from within,
  • To take in avidly with the intellect.
  • :
  • *
  • *: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.
  • To absorb or engross the mind fully, especially in a destructive manner.
  • :
  • Synonyms

    * gobble, gorge, consume, devastate, overwhelm, wolf