What does flavour mean?
Flavour is the sensory impression produced when we eat or drink, created by the interaction of taste on the tongue and aroma detected by the nose; this fusion is why a blocked nose so dramatically dulls the experience of food. Beyond the kitchen, the word also describes any distinctive quality that sets something apart — a neighbourhood can have a cosmopolitan flavour, a novel a melancholy one. In British English the word is spelled 'flavour', while American usage favours 'flavor'; both derive from the same Latin root as 'savor' and 'scent'-related terms. As a verb, one flavours a dish by adding herbs, spices, or seasonings, and derivatives such as 'flavouring' name the substances used to do so. Rich in connotation, 'flavour' suggests depth, authenticity, and character, making it equally at home in cookery writing and cultural criticism — a word that captures not just how something tastes, but how it feels to encounter it.
The distinctive taste of a food or drink, resulting from the combined perception of taste and smell; also, a distinctive quality or character of something.
"This olive oil has a peppery flavour that finishes cleanly."
Commonly used figuratively to mean 'distinctive character'.
To add a particular taste to food or drink by incorporating herbs, spices, or other substances.
"Flavour the sauce with a sprig of thyme and a bay leaf."
Standard plural; also common in phrases like 'a range of flavours'. In US spelling, 'flavors'.
"The shop sells ice cream in a dozen different flavours."
Most of what we call flavour isn't tasted on the tongue at all — it's smelled, which is why food seems utterly bland when a cold blocks your nose.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flavour
'Flavour' derives from the Latin 'flator' via Old French 'flaur' or directly from Late Latin 'flavor', meaning an odour or emanation — originally tied to breathing rather than eating. It entered English in the Middle Ages, gradually shifting from a sense of smell toward the combined taste-and-aroma meaning dominant today. Its American form, 'flavor', reflects the same source with the loss of the 'u' under later spelling reform. Cognates include 'savor' (Latin 'sapor') from the parallel Latin taste vocabulary, illustrating how medieval English drew on multiple Latin channels for words of taste and scent.
Related word forms
How flavour is actually used
'Flavour' is primarily a noun but also functions as a verb ('to flavour a dish with herbs'), chiefly with '-ed' forms like 'salted and flavoured'. In American English it is spelled 'flavor'. The figurative sense — a distinctive quality or atmosphere — carries a positive connotation of charm or distinctiveness. Spelling follows standard British conventions including the 'u', shared with related words like 'favour' and 'savory/savoury' variants.
Easily confused with flavour
'Flavour' is the British English spelling while 'flavor' is the American English spelling of the same word.
'Favour' means an act of kindness or approval (also spelled 'favor' in the US), whereas 'flavour' refers to taste — the two words differ only by one letter and are often mixed up in spelling.