What does safflower mean?
Safflower is an annual plant resembling a thistle, with orange-red or yellow flowers that are grown commercially for their seeds. Those seeds are crushed to produce safflower oil, a light-colored cooking oil valued for its high proportion of polyunsaturated fats and for its relatively neutral flavor. The oil also has non-food uses in cosmetics, paints, and other industrial products, while the flowers can provide yellow or orange dye. Safflower is cultivated in many dry and temperate agricultural regions because it can grow with limited water once established. Its English name can refer either to the plant or, particularly in commercial contexts, to its oil. Although its bright coloring may invite comparison with saffron, saffron is a separate spice made from crocus flowers and is generally far more costly and strongly flavored.
nounAn annual, thistle-like plant cultivated for its oil-rich seeds and orange-red flowers, which can produce a yellow dye. The word can also refer to the oil extracted from its seeds.
- An annual thistle-like plant with orange-red or yellow flowers, cultivated for its seeds and for pigment.
- The oil extracted from safflower seeds, used chiefly in cooking, cosmetics, and industrial products.
"Farmers grow safflower in dry climates because its seeds yield a cooking oil rich in linoleic acid."
"The cook replaced olive oil with safflower oil in the dressing."
"Researchers have bred safflower varieties that tolerate drought and resist rust."
Used for multiple individual plants; the singular safflower is more common when referring to the plant or its products collectively.
"Several safflowers bloomed along the edge of the field."
Safflower reached English through French and Latin from an Arabic word meaning “horse,” a surprising origin for a familiar source of cooking oil.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does safflower come from?
The English word appeared in the Middle English period as a borrowing through Old French from Medieval Latin safflorum. Medieval Latin safflorum in turn came from an Arabic form meaning “horse,” probably through an earlier naming or transcription associated with the plant. Related names appeared in several European languages through the same Arabic and Latin transmission.
How safflower is actually used
The unqualified plant usually means safflower itself, while “safflower oil” specifically denotes the extracted oil. The plant and its products are chiefly associated with dry agricultural regions, especially in the Americas, Asia, and parts of Europe and Africa.
Easily confused with safflower
Saffron is the intensely aromatic spice obtained from the crocus; safflower is a thistle-like plant grown mainly for its seeds and oil.