▸nounan orange-flowered thistle-like Eurasian plant with seeds that yield an edible oil and petals that were formerly used to produce a red or yellow dye.
Carthamus tinctorius, family Compositae.
▪[mass noun](safflower oil)the edible oil obtained from the seeds of the safflower plant.
– ORIGIN late Middle English: from Dutchsaffloer or GermanSaflor, via Old French and Italian from Arabicaṣfar‘yellow’. The spelling has been influenced by saffron and flower.
EnglishOxford Dictionary of English
