Save Gender Feminine Usage English (British), Literature Pronounced Pron. SAF-ee(British English, Literature) [key] Meaning & History Diminutive of names beginning with a similar sound, such as Saffron (as used in the children's novel Saffy's Angel (2001) by Hilary McKay). It was also used as an Anglicized form of Sadbh in Ella Griffin's novel Postcards from the Heart (2011).