What does savoury mean?
Savoury describes food that is pleasing to the taste, particularly when it is salty, spicy, nutty, or richly flavoured. In British English it often implies food that is not sweet, as in “savoury snacks” or “a savoury dish,” and the noun can refer to an individual snack or appetiser. Savoury also has a figurative meaning of respectable, morally sound, or acceptable, commonly encountered in expressions such as “unsavoury conduct.” These figurative uses can suggest that something is ethically dubious rather than merely unattractive. The word’s spelling is chiefly British; North American English generally uses savory for the same meanings. Though its culinary sense is the most familiar today, the word’s history connects it with the broad Latin idea of tasting and perceiving flavour, giving it an etymological relationship with words such as sapid and sapience.
Pleasing to the taste, especially in a salty or spicy way and typically not sweet; figuratively, respectable or morally acceptable.
"They filled the table with savoury tarts, stuffed with spinach and cheese."
The culinary sense often contrasts with sweet. The figurative sense is less frequent and may sound formal or dated.
A piece of savoury food, especially a small salty or spiced snack.
"The caterer provided crackers, cheese, and other savouries for the drinks reception."
This noun sense is particularly associated with British English and is less common in North American English.
The plural is chiefly used in British English for small pieces of savoury food served as snacks or appetisers.
"The table was covered with sandwiches, pies, and other savouries."
The British spelling hides its Latin ancestry: savoury and sapid share the same root, sapere, meaning “to taste.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does savoury come from?
Savoury entered Middle English in the late medieval period in forms such as savorie, borrowed through Anglo-French from Old French words meaning “tasty” or “full of flavour.” These forms ultimately derive from Latin sapor, meaning “taste” or “flavour,” and the related verb sapere, “to taste” or “perceive by the senses.” The same Latin root also lies behind sapid, sapience, and the closely related nouns savour and savor; the modern US form savory reflects the spelling of savor.
Related word forms
How savoury is actually used
The word is especially associated with British English, although its US spelling is savory. In British usage it often contrasts with sweet and may refer to food that is salty, spicy, or strongly flavoured. Its figurative use—meaning respectable or acceptable—is less common and sounds somewhat formal or dated.
Easily confused with savoury
Savour is chiefly a noun or verb meaning taste or flavour, or to appreciate something fully, whereas savoury is principally an adjective and, in British English, a noun for a non-sweet snack.
Savoury is the standard British spelling, while savory is the corresponding US spelling; both forms have the same basic meanings.