Flavour
/ˈfleɪ.vər/noun
The distinctive taste or smell of a food or drink, or a particular quality or character.
Did you know?English flavour comes through Old French from a Latin word tied to smell, and its deeper root is the same ancient source behind words for breathing and blowing—because scent was once understood as something you literally carried through the air.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰleh₁-
“to blow, breathe”
Latin
Latin
flāre
“to blow”
Latin
Latin
flāvor
“a blowing, scent, smell”
Old French
Old French
flaur
“smell, odor”
Middle English
English
flavour
“smell, savor”
Modern English
English
flavour
“distinctive taste or quality”