What does flavoured mean?
Flavoured describes something — most often food or drink — that has been given a particular taste, whether by natural ingredients such as herbs and spices or by artificial additives. It functions chiefly as an adjective, frequently appearing in phrases like 'strawberry flavoured sweets' or 'coffee flavoured with cardamom', and also serves as the past participle of the verb 'to flavour'. The word carries no strong emotional charge; it is descriptive and neutral, though consumers sometimes attach positive or negative associations depending on whether a product is 'naturally' or 'artificially' flavoured. Spelling matters here: 'flavoured', with a 'u', is the British and Commonwealth form, while American English writes 'flavored'. The underlying noun 'flavour' descends through Old French from Latin roots concerned with smell and breath, linking this everyday culinary word to an ancient lineage of terms about air and aroma. Its ubiquity in packaging and menus makes it one of the most routinely encountered adjectives in modern English.
Given or imparted a specific taste, either naturally or artificially.
"He reached for a packet of cheese flavoured crackers."
Almost always used attributively, placed directly before the noun it qualifies.
As the past participle of 'to flavour': having been seasoned or infused with a particular taste.
"The butter, flavoured with lemon and dill, melted over the hot fish."
Every 'u' in British 'flavoured' traces back across centuries of French influence on English spelling — which is why Americans bite into 'flavored' snacks while Britons taste the extra letter.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flavoured
The word derives from 'flavour', which entered English via Old French 'flavour' (or 'flaour'), itself taken from a Latin source relating to odour and breath — ultimately connected to the Latin verb 'flare', meaning to blow. Because 'flavour' was absorbed into English during the medieval period, when French-influenced spellings with '-our' became conventional, the derived participle 'flavoured' retained that 'u'. In North America, spelling reform in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries stripped the 'u' away, producing the modern American 'flavored'. Cognate terms descending from the same Latin verb include 'inflate', 'conflate', and 'deflate'.
Related word forms
How flavoured is actually used
'Flavoured' appears chiefly in food, drink, and product labelling contexts, and its register is neutral — equally at home in cookery writing and on packaging. The word is almost always used attributively before a noun ('flavoured tea', 'chocolate-flavoured cereal'). In formal scientific or regulatory writing, the related term 'flavouring' (the substance added) may be used instead when discussing additives themselves rather than the resulting product. Writers targeting an international audience should be aware of the transatlantic spelling split.
Easily confused with flavoured
'Flavored' is simply the American spelling of the same word; 'flavoured' with the 'u' is standard in British and most Commonwealth English.
'Savoured' means relishing or enjoying a taste, while 'flavoured' describes something that has been given a particular taste.