Etymology Map
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Safflower

5 stages from Arabic to English.

Today it means a thistle-like plant grown for its orange-red flowers, used to make dye, cooking oil, and food coloring

Where does the word "safflower" come from? It comes from Arabic asfar, passing through Italian, Middle French and Dutch before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 5
asfar
Arabic · medieval
"yellow"
meant simply "yellow," describing the plant's dye
2
Stage 2 of 5
asfiore
Italian · medieval
"the yellow-dye plant"
adapted the Arabic color word into a plant name
3
Stage 3 of 5
safleur
Middle French · 1500s
"safflower"
folk etymology reshaped it to resemble "safran" (saffron) and "fleur" (flower)
4
Stage 4 of 5
saffloer
Dutch · 1500s
"safflower"
passed through Dutch trade networks
5
Stage 5 of 5
safflower
English · 1500s
"thistle-like dye and oil plant"
settled into its modern English form
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