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safflower

noun
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saf·​flow·​er | \ ˈsa-ˌflau̇(-ə)r How to pronounce safflower (audio) \

Definition of safflower

: a widely cultivated Old World composite herb (Carthamus tinctorius) with large usually orange or red flower heads and seeds rich in oil also : a red dyestuff prepared from the flower heads

Examples of safflower in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Alternately, try safflower or thistle seeds, which squirrels don’t particularly like. — Arricca Elin Sansone, House Beautiful, "How to Attract More Birds to Your Garden This Winter," 28 Oct. 2019 Tube feeders with slightly larger seed openings are available for safflower seed. — Calvin Finch, ExpressNews.com, "If you feed them, birds will come," 10 Oct. 2019 So, canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil and olive oil (among others like sunflower, safflower, cottonseed and nut/peanut/seed oils) are recommended. — Environmental Nutrition, sun-sentinel.com, "How to choose the best oil for you," 28 Aug. 2019 Sunflower, safflower, evening primrose, rose-hip seed, and flaxseed oils all have particularly high concentrations of linoleic (omega-6) and linolenic (omega-3) acids. — A.a. Newton, SELF, "Do You Really Need to Put Fatty Acids on Your Face?," 28 Aug. 2019 Garnish with dried borage and safflower blossoms and serve. — ExpressNews.com, "Recipe: Shaved Squash Salad with Borage Vinaigrette," 19 June 2019 It can be made by combining soybean, canola, grape seed, safflower or vegetable oil blended with olive oil. — Claire Perez, sun-sentinel.com, "Claire’s tip of the week: How to use different cooking oils," 5 July 2019 Other ingredients in the serum are hydrators like glycerin, safflower seed oil, and panthenol, as well as antioxidants like ferulic acid and green tea leaf extract. — Jenna Rosenstein, Harper's BAZAAR, "I Used Only Kylie Skin Products For a Whole Week. Here's My Honest Review.," 29 May 2019 Larger species like cardinals prefer safflower or sunflower seeds. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Here's How Birds Stay Warm in the Winter, In Case You Were Wondering," 1 Feb. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'safflower.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of safflower

circa 1660, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for safflower

Middle French saffleur, from Old Italian saffiore, from Arabic ʽaṣfar, ʽuṣfur

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Time Traveler for safflower

Time Traveler

The first known use of safflower was circa 1660

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Last Updated

11 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Safflower.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/safflower. Accessed 12 December 2019.

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More Definitions for safflower

safflower

noun
saf·​flow·​er | \ ˈsaf-ˌlau̇(-ə)r How to pronounce safflower (audio) \

Medical Definition of safflower

1 : a widely grown Old World composite herb (Carthamus tinctorius) that has large orange or red flower heads from which a red dyestuff is prepared and seeds rich in oil
2 : a drug consisting of the dried florets of the safflower that has been used in medicine in place of saffron

— called also carthamus

More from Merriam-Webster on safflower

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with safflower

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about safflower

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