saffron

Etymology

From Middle English saffron, from Old French safran, from Medieval Latin safrānum, from Arabic زَعْفَرَان (zaʕfarān).

noun

1. The plant Crocus sativus, a crocus.
   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, 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.
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.
   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 in Early Modern England, page 117-118, 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.
   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
   Saffron is the stigma of the crocus flower, which is harvested by hand, dried, and sold either in strands or ground to powder.[…]Of all the medieval spices, saffron was the most expensive, which is not surprising given that 70,000 flowers only yield one pound of dried stigmas. 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
3. An orange-yellow colour, the colour of a lion's pelt.
   saffron:
   […] 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, Lucy Maud Montgomery, chapter 7, in Anne of the Island
   These colours might have been expressly designed—by dissonance as much as harmony—for juxtaposition against those pouring down in brilliant rays of light from the Tiepolo; subtle yet penetrating pinks and greys, light blue turning almost to lavender, rich saffrons and cinnamons melting into bronze and gold. 1973, Anthony Powell, Temporary Kings, page 82
   The classical shades of Antiquity were the most prevalent, but along with the Venetian reds and Egyptian blues, the saffrons and ochres and indigos, were more delicate hues: of pink and cream and lilac, like shells littered upon the shore. 2011, Seth Hunter, The Winds of Folly, unnumbered page

adj

1. Having an orange-yellow colour.
   For ioyfull thoughts, vse funerall deedes 1624, 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. 123, Now Hymen change thy saffron weedes To roabe and habit sable
   1794, Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho, London: G.G. & J. Robinson, Volume 1, Chapter 9, p. 256, 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.
   […] it was half-past four, and the gray day was dying gloriously, its western clouds all broken into narrowing purple strata before a wide-spreading saffron clearness […] 1876, George Eliot, chapter 40, in Daniel Deronda
   The jacket was brown but had turned saffron where it had been soaked by Lal’s sweat. 1961, V. S. Naipaul, A House for Mr Biswas, Part 1, Chapter 2

verb

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
   Well-saffroned was that barley-soup! 1884, Robert Browning, “Two Camels”, in Ferishtah’s Fancies, London: Smith, Elder, page 70
2. To give a saffron colour to (something).
   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, 1582, Richard Stanyhurst, transl., The First Foure Bookes of Virgil his Aeneis, Leiden: John Pates, Book 4, p. 82
      1638, uncredited translator, Historie Naturall and Experimentall, of Life and Death by Francis Bacon, London: William Lee and Humphrey Mosley, p. 244, The same Irish, use to weare Saffroned Linnen, and Shirts; Which though it were, at first, devised to prevent Vermine, yet, howsoever, I take it, to be very usefull for Lengthening of Life […]
   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
      Or warts, or wheales, it hangs upon her skinne.
3. (figurative) 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
   The Nun's Priest's rhetorical devices, too numerous to catalogue exhaustively, are of two kinds: first, the heroic-historical, beginning with the setting of the occasion in a time sequence that starts with the Creation, saffroning the high points with apostrophes and epic similes, and culminating with a chase in which Chauntecleer's fall proves to have the "cosmic reverberations" required by epic standards […] 2015, Robert B. Burlin, Chaucerian Fiction, page 231