saffron — ODE

saffron /ˈsafrən

▸ noun

1 [mass noun] an orange-yellow flavouring, food colouring, and dye made from the dried stigmas of a crocus.

▪ the orange-yellow colour of saffron:

[as modifier] the saffron robe of a Buddhist monk.

2 (also saffron crocus) an autumn-flowering crocus with reddish-purple flowers, native to warmer regions of Eurasia. Enormous numbers of flowers are required to produce a small quantity of the large red stigmas used for the spice.

Crocus sativus, family Iridaceae. See also meadow saffron.

– DERIVATIVES

saffrony adjective

– ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French safran, based on Arabic za‘farān.