ambergris
A solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray to blackish color, formed within the…A solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray to blackish color, formed within the intestines of the sperm whale and used in the production of perfumes.
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
By meaning 1
Examples
1 sentencesAmbergris is the foundation of nearly every perfume, and in ancient times was used for spicing wine.
Meaning
1 senses(uncountable, usually)A solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray to blackish color, formed within the intestines of the sperm whale and used in the production of perfumes.
Ambra, Amber
а́мбраámbra
а́мбраámbra
- waxy substance secreted by the sperm whale and found floating at sea or washed ashore; used in perfume
Origin
From Old French ambre gris (“grey amber”). Though the term was initially spaced as two worFrom Old French ambre gris (“grey amber”). Though the term was initially spaced as two words, single-word forms predominated by the 19th century. In the 17th century, folk etymologies interpreting the term as amber grease or amber [of] Greece enjoyed some popularity.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: ambergrisesSynonyms
2 synonymsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.