flavor

B1 Topic:Cooking & Baking

Also spelled flavour and flavoured

US /ˈfleɪvɚ/ UK /ˈfleɪvə/ See IPA manual

Freq #6440

Meanings

1

noun
The taste of a particular food or drink.

The flavor of this apple pie is delicious.
2

noun
A particular type of taste, such as one of several available.

What flavor of ice cream would you like?
3

noun
A substance added to food to give it a taste.

They added vanilla flavor to the pudding.
4

noun
The special quality or character of something.

The festival has a real flavor of the local culture.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 noun · a substance added to food... flavoring

Word family

Forms flavoredflavoringflavors

Derived forms disflavorflavordynamicsflavoredflavorerflavorfulflavoringflavoristflavorizeflavorlessflavorsomeflavorwiseflavorwood

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

Idioms (1)

See all

flavor of the month
a person, framework, or thing that is fashionable for a very short time

Simplified etymology

Flavour entered English in the late Middle Ages from an Old French word of uncertain formation, possibly combining Latin flatus, “blowing,” with foetor, “unpleasant smell.” It originally meant “fragrance,” and its v may reflect the influence of savour. The modern sense “distinctive taste” developed in the 17th century.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁- Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁-der. Proto-Italic *flāōder. Latin flō Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin flātor Vulgar Latin *flātorder. Old French flaorbor. Middle English savourinflu. Middle English flavour English flavor From Middle English flavour meaning “smell, odour”, usually pleasing, borrowed from Old French flaour (“smell, odour”) (cfr. Sicilian ciàguru, its etymology and semantic), from Vulgar Latin *flātor (“odour, that which blows”), from Latin flātor (“blower”), from flō, flāre (“to blow,…

flavour Middle English flaour Old French *flātor la-vul flātor Latin *bʰleh₁- Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Cooking & Baking Food & Drink

External links

# flavor

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈfleɪvɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈfleɪvə/
**Frequency rank:** 6440

## Meanings
1. The taste of a particular food or drink.
2. A particular type of taste, such as one of several available.
3. A substance added to food to give it a taste.
4. The special quality or character of something.

## Examples
- The flavor of this apple pie is delicious.
- What flavor of ice cream would you like?
- They added vanilla flavor to the pudding.
- The festival has a real flavor of the local culture.

## Derived Forms
- disflavor
- flavordynamics
- flavored
- flavorer
- flavorful
- flavoring
- flavorist
- flavorize
- flavorless
- flavorsome
- flavorwise
- flavorwood

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: flavour
- Root: flaour
- Root: *flātor
- Root: flātor
- Root: *bʰleh₁-
- Root: *bʰel-

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁- Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁-der. Proto-Italic *flāōder. Latin flō Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin flātor Vulgar Latin *flātorder. Old French flaorbor. Middle English savourinflu. Middle English flavour English flavor From Middle English flavour meaning “smell, odour”, usually pleasing, borrowed from Old French flaour (“smell, odour”) (cfr. Sicilian ciàguru, its etymology and semantic), from Vulgar Latin *flātor (“odour, that which blows”), from Latin flātor (“blower”), from flō, flāre (“to blow,…

## AI Etymology
Flavor comes from Middle English flavour meaning “smell, odour”, usually pleasing, borrowed from Old French flaour (“smell, odour”) (cfr. In current use, the main senses are “The taste of a particular food or drink” and “A particular type of taste, such as one of several available”.

## Topics
- Cooking & Baking
- Food & Drink

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