From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsaffronsaf‧fron /ˈsæfrən/ noun [uncountable] 1 DFCa bright yellow spice that is used in cooking to give food a special taste and colour. It is sold as a powder or in thin pieces.2 CCa bright orange-yellow colour
Examples from the Corpus
saffron• She was thinking of houseboys in a saffron uniform she'd design herself.• Cardamoms are used to flavour rice and, after saffron, are the world's most expensive spice.• Pour in the cool saffron aspic as you go, layer by layer.• Soak in the fish broth with a pinch of saffron and half the cayenne, until soft.• None of the washed-out white or saffron yellow of the grain- or maize-fed animal here.• While the rice is cooking, add the saffron to the stock and allow to stand. 4.• Whisk the butter and icing sugar, then whisk in the saffron cream.• Cook rice with the saffron or turmeric in a medium pan.Origin saffron (1100-1200) Old French safran, from Medieval Latin safranum, from Arabic za'faran 