safflower

[ saf-lou-er ]

noun

1. a thistlelike composite plant, Carthamus tinctorius, native to the Old World, having finely toothed leaves and large, orange-red flower heads.
2. its dried florets, used medicinally or as a red dyestuff.

safflower

/ ˈsæflaʊə /

noun

1. a thistle-like Eurasian annual plant, Carthamus tinctorius, having large heads of orange-yellow flowers and yielding a dye and an oil used in paints, medicines, etc: family Asteraceae (composites)
2. a red dye used for cotton and for colouring foods and cosmetics, or a drug obtained from the florets of this plant

Word History and Origins

Origin of safflower¹

1575–85; < Dutch saffloer < Middle French safleur, alteration (assimilated to safran saffron and fleur flower ) of Italian asfori < Arabic aṣfar yellow

Word History and Origins

Origin of safflower¹

C16: via Dutch saffloer or German safflor from Old French saffleur, from Early Italian saffiore, of uncertain origin. Influenced by saffron , flower

Example Sentences

But a host of other row crops are also used as a source of oils, including cotton, corn, safflower, peanut and flax.

From Salon

To back up, omega-6 is found in seeds and vegetables and the oils extracted from them — oils like soybean, corn, canola, cottonseed, safflower and sunflower.

From Salon

For some oil and vinegar dressings, you might want a more neutrally flavored oil, like safflower or grapeseed.

From Washington Times

The reborn Tulare Lake submerged thousands of acres of farmland used to grow pistachios, almonds, cotton and safflower in one of the nation’s most productive agricultural regions, creating a seemingly endless blue horizon.

From Los Angeles Times

And many of the fields that have flooded were planted with seasonal row crops such as tomatoes, cotton and safflower.

From Los Angeles Times