Word.ws English Dictionary

saffron

/ˈsæfɹən/US/ˈsæfɹən/

saffron noun: a plant of species Crocus sativus, a crocus.

saffron: a plant of species Crocus sativus, a crocus
Image: ‘Uncle Carl’ (カールおじさん), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

saffron (countable and uncountable, plural saffrons)

  1. A plant of species Crocus sativus, a crocus.
    • Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, spikenard and saffron […]1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Song of Songs of Songs-Chapter-4/#13-14 4:13-14
    • Usually the maximum temperature for October, November and December in the southern parts of Khorassan–the main saffron growing area of the Iran-does not exceed 20°C, while the minimum temperature reaches 0°C.2009, D. H. Sanaeinejad, S. N. Hosseini, Regression Models for Saffron Yields in Iran, Daoliang Li, Chunjiang Zhao (editors), Computer and Computing Technologies in Agriculture II, Volume 1, page 510
  2. A spice (seasoning) and colouring agent made from the stigma and part of the style of the plant, sometimes or formerly also used as a dye and insect repellent.
    • I must have saffron to colour the warden pies […]c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
    • The Irish and Ireland people (who are frequently troubled with lice, and such as will fly, as they say, in summer) anoint their shirts with saffron, and to very good purpose, to drive away the lice, but after six months they wash their shirts again, putting fresh saffron into the lye.1658, Thomas Muffet, The Theatre of Insects, [1634, Insectorum sive Minimorum Animalium Theatrum], quoted in 2008, Anna Suranyi, The Genius of the English Nation: Travel Writing and National Identity...
    Synonyms:
    kesar
  3. An orange-yellow colour, the colour of a lion's pelt.
    • […] The stately Ram
      Shone thro’ the Mead, in native Purple clad,
      Or milder Saffron […]a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Spring”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC, page 18
    • […] the girls locked up Echo Lodge again and went away in the perfect half hour that follows the rose and saffron of a winter sunset.1915, L[ucy] M[aud] Montgomery, chapter 7, in Anne of the Island, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, →OCLC
    Synonyms:
    saffron yellow

Adjective

saffron

  1. Having an orange-yellow colour.
    • For ioyfull thoughts, vse funerall deedes1624, Thomas Heywood, Gynaikeion: or, Nine Bookes of Various History. Concerninge women inscribed by the names of the nine Muses, London, Book 3, “A Funerall Oade vpon the death of Anna Panareta” p....
    • The sun was now set; but, under the dark branches of the almond trees, was seen the saffron glow of the west, spreading beyond the twilight of middle air.1794, Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho, London: G.G. & J. Robinson, Volume 1, Chapter 9, p. 256
  2. (Indian politics) Associated with Hinduism, Hindus or Hindu nationalism.
    • Saffron voters will certainly respond to the Sena chief’s call to support this alliance.2012 January 11, “Saffron alliance gives RPI 29 seats it never won”, in Hindustan Times
    • That is when he decided it was time to turn saffron, though it took him another ten years to formally join the BJP in 2014.2018 August 25, “Satpal Malik: BJP’s ticket to form a saffron government in J&K”, in National Herald

Verb

saffron (third-person singular simple present saffrons, present participle saffroning, simple past and past participle saffroned)

  1. To add saffron to (a food), for taste, colour etc.
    • saffroned water, saffroned rice
    • Saffrond wyne bryngeth mirthe, and taketh away Melancholines […]1559, Conrad Gesner, “Of certain other Aromatical wynes”, in Peter Morwen, transl., The Treasure of Euonymus, London: John Day, page 407
  2. To give a saffron colour to (something).
    • My dreadful thoughts been drawen vpon my face,
      In blotted lines with ages iron pen,
      The lothlie morpheu saffroned the place,
      Where beuties damaske daz’d the eies of men.1593, Michael Drayton, Idea the Shepheards Garland, London: Thomas Woodcocke, Second Eglog, page 6
    • Or like the twifold-twynned Geminy,
      In their star-gilded gyrdle strongly tyed,
      Chayn’d by their saffrond tresses in the sky,
      Standing to guard the sun-coche in his pride.c. 1594, Michael Drayton, Peirs Gaueston Earle of Cornwall His Life, Death, and Fortune, London: Nicholas Ling and John Busby
    1. To dye (a fabric, garment, etc.) with a saffron-based dye.
      • The other part Northern, & ful of mountaines, a very rude and homely kinde of people doth inhabite, which are called the redshankes or wilde Scottes. They be clothed with a mantel and shyrte saffroned, after the Irishe manner, going bare legged to the knée.1580, John Stow, “A briefe Description of Englande, Scotlande, Wales, and Cornwall”, in The Chronicles of England, London: Ralph Newberie, page 9
      • Thee next day foloing lustring Aurora lay shymring,
        Her saffrond mattresse leauing to her bedfelo Tithon.1582, Richard Stanyhurst, transl., The First Foure Bookes of Virgil his Aeneis, Leiden: John Pates, Book 4, p. 82
    2. To colour (a metal or wooden surface) with a gilding product containing saffron.
      • His horse was harnished with leaden chaines, hauing the out-side guilt, or at least saffrond in stead of guilt, to decypher a holie or golden pretence of a couetous purpose […]1594, Thomas Nashe, The Unfortunate Traveller, London: C. Burby
      • And like vile stones lying in saffrond tinne,1633, John Donne, “Elegie”, in Poems, London: John Marriot, page 149
  3. (figuratively) To embellish.
    • Saffroning the rest of the account are several other regionalisms: agin for against, hit for the expletive it, knowed as a preterite, and no use to say not bin' (a fascinating doubling of the negative).1970, Robert Randolph Turner, Tennessee Legends: An Analysis in Terms of Motifs, Structure, and Style
    • He saffrons his speech with Latin which he knows all by rote.1992, Jerome Mandel, Geoffrey Chaucer: Building the Fragments of the Canterbury Tales

Proper noun capitalized: Saffron

Saffron

  1. A female given name from English; a rare flower name from the saffron.
    • The bad thing was she took my son Skiff with her. It's a dumb name I know, but at the time he was born all the kids were being called things like Sky and Saffron and Powie, and I was really sold on sailing.1981, William Boyd, On the Yankee Station, Hamilton, →ISBN, page 17

saffron meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

saffron in Hindi

plant
केसर kesar, कुंकुम kuṅkum, कुमकुम kumkum, ज़ाफ़रान zāfrān
spice
केसर kesar
dye
केसरी kesrī, केसरिया kesriyā
colour
केसरी kesrī, केसरिया kesriyā, भगवा bhagvā

saffron in Tamil

plant
குங்குமப்பூ kuṅkumappū
spice
குங்குமப்பூ kuṅkumappū

saffron in Marathi

plant
केसर kesar
spice
केसर kesar, केशर keśar
dye
केसरी kesrī
colour
केसरी kesrī

saffron in Urdu

plant
کیسر kesar, زعفران za'farān
dye
کیسری kesrī, کیسریا kesriyā
colour
کیسری kesrī, کیسریا kesriyā
having an orange-yellow colour
کیسری kesrī, کیسریا kesriyā
More languagesFewer languages
saffron in Bengali
গৈরিক gōirik, জাফরান japhoran
saffron in Telugu
కుంకుమపువ్వు kuṅkumapuvvu
saffron in Malayalam
കുങ്കുമം kuṅkumaṁ, രോഹിതം rōhitaṁ, ശോണം śōṇaṁ, ഗൗരം gauraṁ
saffron in Kannada
ಕೇಸರಿ kēsari
saffron in Punjabi
ਕੇਸਰ kesar
saffron in Gujarati
કેસર kesar
saffron in Odia
ହେମ hema
saffron in Sanskrit
कुङ्कुम kuṅkuma, केसर kesara
saffron in Sinhala
කුංකුම kuṁkuma
saffron in Nepali
केशर keśar
saffron in Pashto
زعفران za'farā́n
saffron in Tagalog
asapran
saffron in Arabic
زَعْفَرَان zaʕfarān
saffron in Malay
kuma-kuma, kumkuma
saffron in Indonesian
kuma-kuma
saffron in Persian
زعفران za'ferân, زعفرانی za'ferâni
saffron in Thai
หญ้าฝรั่น ya faran
saffron in Vietnamese
nghệ tây
saffron in Myanmar
ကုံကုမံ kumku.mam
Dhivehi
ކުކުން kukun̊
Kashmiri
کۄنٛگ kọng

Examples of saffron in a sentence

  • Saffron is not included in American and British pharmacopoeias, but some Indian medical formulae still include it.2002, James A. Duke, editor, CRC Handbook of Medicinal Spices, page 129:
  • According to ancient legend, a Greek girl, partaking of saffron for an entire week, could not resist a lover.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 212:
  • In the European cookbooks of the late Middle Ages, nearly all of which which reflect refined upper-class dining, saffron is ubiquitous.2004, Melitta Weiss Adamson, Food in Medieval Times, page 15:
  • Saffron is often called the “golden spice.”2011, Mathew Attokaran, Natural Food Flavors and Colorants, unnumbered page:

All 28 example sentences with saffron

Synonyms of saffron

Forms of saffron

Noun
pluralsaffrons
Verb
third-person singular presentsaffrons
present participlesaffroning
past participlesaffroned
pastsaffroned

Origin of saffron

Inherited from Middle English saffron, borrowed from Old French safran, borrowed from Medieval Latin safranum, borrowed from Arabic زَعْفَرَان (zaʕfarān), from Aramaic צפר.

Words formed from saffron

Phrases with saffron

Words that rhyme with saffron

Questions about saffron

What does saffron mean?
Saffron means a plant of species Crocus sativus, a crocus.
What is saffron in Hindi?
Saffron in Hindi is केसर (kesar), कुंकुम (kuṅkum), कुमकुम (kumkum). See Saffron meaning in Hindi.
How do you use saffron in a sentence?
Saffron is not included in American and British pharmacopoeias, but some Indian medical formulae still include it.
What part of speech is saffron?
Saffron can be a noun, an adjective, a verb or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce saffron?
Saffron is pronounced /ˈsæfɹən/ (UK).
What is the plural of saffron?
The plural of saffron is saffrons.

Words near saffron in the dictionary

  1. Saffolds
  2. Safford
  3. Saffords
  4. saffranin
  5. saffranine
  6. saffron
  7. saffron cod
  8. saffron crocus
  9. saffron crocuses
  10. saffron milk cap
  11. saffron plum

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: saffron (page history and authors); Saffron (page history and authors); গৈরিক (Bengali) (page history and authors); കുങ്കുമം (Malayalam) (page history and authors); ହେମ (Odia) (page history and authors); زعفران (Pashto) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-saffron.wav.

Cite this entry: “saffron.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/saffron. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.