Definition of saffron Saffron

/sæˈfɹʌn/ - [safrun] - saf•fron

We found 19 definitions of saffron from 7 different sources.

What does saffron mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: saffrons
saffron - dried pungent stigmas of the Old World saffron crocus
		flavorer, flavoring, flavourer, flavouring, seasoner, seasoning something added to food primarily for the savor it imparts
saffron - Old World crocus having purple or white flowers with aromatic pungent orange stigmas used in flavoring food
		saffron crocus, Crocus sativus
		crocus any of numerous low-growing plants of the genus Crocus having slender grasslike leaves and white or yellow or purple flowers; native chiefly to the Mediterranean region but widely cultivated
saffron - a shade of yellow tinged with orange
		orange yellow
		yellow, yellowness yellow color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of sunflowers or ripe lemons

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Wiktionary

saffron (Noun)
The saffron crocus plant,.
saffron (Noun)
A seasoning made from the stigma of the saffron plant.
saffron (Noun)
A dye made from the stigma of the saffron plant.
saffron (Noun)
An orange- yellow colour. The color of a lion.
saffron (Adjective)
Having a orange-yellow colour.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

saffron (n.)
A bulbous iridaceous plant (Crocus sativus) having blue flowers with large yellow stigmas. See Crocus.
saffron (n.)
The aromatic, pungent, dried stigmas, usually with part of the stile, of the Crocus sativus. Saffron is used in cookery, and in coloring confectionery, liquors, varnishes, etc., and was formerly much used in medicine.
saffron (n.)
An orange or deep yellow color, like that of the stigmas of the Crocus sativus.
saffron (a.)
Having the color of the stigmas of saffron flowers; deep orange-yellow; as, a saffron face; a saffron streamer.
saffron (v. t.)
To give color and flavor to, as by means of saffron; to spice.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

saffron
A seasoning made from the stigma of the saffron plant.
saffron
A yellow color that resembles that of saffron.
saffron
Having a yellow color, like that of saffron.

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

saffron
saf′run, n. a bulbous plant of the crocus kind with deep-yellow flowers: a colouring substance prepared from its flowers.—adj. having the colour of saffron: deep yellow.—adj. Saff′rony.—n. Saf′ranine, a coal-tar producing yellowish colour used in dyeing. [O. Fr. safran (It. zafferano)—Ar. za‛farān—safrā, yellow.]

Wikipedia

Saffron () (Persian: زَعْفَرَان) is a spice made from the stigma of the flower of the saffron plant. The spice is used in cooking as a seasoning and as a food colouring. It is native to Southwest Asia. It is the world's most expensive spice, and has been for a long time.

Saffron has a bitter taste and smells like hay. This smell is caused by the chemicals picrocrocin and safranal. Saffron also contains a dye, crocin, that gives food a rich golden colour. Saffron is an ingredient in many foods worldwide, and is also used in medicine.

Origin.

The word "saffron" comes from the 12th-century Old French word ', which comes from the Latin word '. ' is also related to the Italian ' and Spanish '. "Safranum" comes from the Arabic word ' (), which means "yellow," via the Persian paronymous ' ().

Biology.

The cultivated saffron (saffron crocus "C. sativus") flowers in the an autumn and comes up every year, therefore it is known as a perennial plant. It does not grow wild, and is a newer sterile triploid form of the eastern Mediterranean plant called "Crocus cartwrightianus". It is thought that "C. cartwrightianus" originally came from Crete. The saffron crocus resulted when "C. cartwrightianus" was subjected to extensive artificial selection by growers who desired elongated stigmas. Being sterile, the saffron crocus's purple flowers fail to produce viable seeds—thus, reproduction is dependent on human assistance: the corms (underground bulb-like starch-storing organs) must be manually d