• savor •
Pronunciation: say-vêr • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Verb, noun
Meaning: 1. (Intransitive) To have a distinctive or pleasurable taste or smell, as 'to savor of oregano'. 2. (Transitive) To taste or smell enjoyably, as 'to savor the salad with relish'.
Notes: Remember, outside the US today's word is spelled the British way, savour, like labour and colour. This verb may be used as a noun meaning "dish with a nonsweet taste", which has four adjectives, savory, unsavory, and savorous and unsavorous.
In Play: Mothers are wont to tell their kids at the table: "Don't gobble your food; eat slowly so you can savor it!" This word, of course, may be used metaphorically: "Harvey savored the fleeting delights of youth a bit too much."
Word History: English nicked today's Good Word on one of its many raids on Old French; this time, it picked up savor "flavor, taste, sauce, seasoning". French had inherited and adapted Latin sapor "taste, flavor" to create savor. Latin used PIE sap- "to taste, perceive" for its verb sapere "to taste" and simply added the nominative suffix -or to create its noun. French used its version of sapor as a verb. The Germanic languages led the PIE word astray, for English sap, German Saft "juice", Dutch sap "juice", Swedish saft "juice, syrup", and Danish saft "sap". The present participle of sapere is sapien(t)s "having (good) taste", which English took from Old French sapient "discerning, perceptive, wise." (Now a good word for our old friend David Myer, who has been serving up savory Good Words like today's since 2011.)
