Definitions for ambergris
ˈæm bərˌgris, -grɪsam·ber·gris

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. ambergrisnoun

   waxy substance secreted by the sperm whale and found floating at sea or washed ashore; used in perfume

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. ambergrisnoun

   A solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish color, produced in the intestines of the sperm whale. It is used in perfumes.

2. Etymology: ambre gris.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Ambergrisnoun

   A fragrant drug, that melts almost like wax, commonly of a greyish or ash colour, used both as a perfume and a cordial. It is found on the sea coasts of several warm countries, and on the western coasts of Ireland. Some imagine it to be the excrement of a bird, which, being melted by the heat of the sun, and washed off the shore by the waves, is swallowed by whales, who return it back in the condition we find it. Others conclude it to be the excrement of a cetaceous fish, because sometimes found in the intestines of such animals. But we have no instance of any excrement capable of melting like wax; and if it were the excrement of a whale, it should rather be found where these animal abound, as about Greenland. Others take it for a kind of wax or gum, which distils from trees, and drops into the sea, where it congeals. Many of the orientals imagine it springs out of the sea, as naptha does out of some fountains. Others suppose it a sea mushroom, torn up from the bottom by the violence of tempests. Others assert it to be a vegetable production, issuing out of the root of a tree, whose roots always shoot toward the sea, and discharge themselves into it. Others maintain, that ambergris is made from the honey-combs, which fall into the sea from the rocks, where the bees had formed their nests; several persons having seen pieces that were half ambergris, and half plain honey-comb; and others have found large pieces of ambergris, in which, when broke, honey-comb, and honey too, were found in the middle. Some affirm it to be a true animal concrete, formed in balls in the body of the male spermaceti whale, and lodged in a large oval bag over the testicles. But, besides that it is not one spermaceti whale in a hundred, that is found to have ambergris, Neumann, chemist to the king of Prussia, absolutely denies it to be an animal substance, as not yielding in the analysis, any one animal principle. It may indeed be found in whales, but it must have been swallowed by them. He concludes it to be a bitumen issuing out of the earth into the sea; at first of a viscous consistence, but hardening, by its mixture with some liquid naphtha, into the form in which we find it. Antoine Furetière Ephraim Chambers

   Etymology: from amber and gris, or grey; that is, greyamber.

   Bermudas wall’d with rocks, who does not know
   That happy island, where huge lemons grow,
   Where shining pearl, coral, and many a pound,
   On the rich shore, of ambergris is found. Edmund Waller.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Ambergris

   Ambergris ( or , Latin: ambra grisea, Old French: ambre gris), ambergrease, or grey amber is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish colour produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Freshly produced ambergris has a marine, fecal odor. It acquires a sweet, earthy scent as it ages, commonly likened to the fragrance of isopropyl alcohol without the vaporous chemical astringency.Ambergris has been highly valued by perfume makers as a fixative that allows the scent to endure much longer, although it has been mostly replaced by synthetic ambroxide. Dogs are attracted to the smell of ambergris and are sometimes used by ambergris searchers.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. ambergris

   Ambergris is a rare, waxy substance produced in the digestive system of sperm whales and used in the manufacture of perfumes to fix the scent. It is often found washed up on beaches and has a strong, musky scent.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Ambergrisnoun

   a substance of the consistence of wax, found floating in the Indian Ocean and other parts of the tropics, and also as a morbid secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), which is believed to be in all cases its true origin. In color it is white, ash-gray, yellow, or black, and often variegated like marble. The floating masses are sometimes from sixty to two hundred and twenty-five pounds in weight. It is wholly volatilized as a white vapor at 212¡ Fahrenheit, and is highly valued in perfumery.

2. Etymology: [F. ambre gris, i. e., gray amber; F. gris gray, which is of German origin: cf. OS. grs, G. greis, gray-haired. See Amber.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Ambergris

   Ambergris is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish color produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Freshly produced ambergris has a marine, fecal odor. However, as it ages, it acquires a sweet, earthy scent commonly likened to the fragrance of rubbing alcohol without the vaporous chemical astringency. The principal historical use of ambergris was as a fixative in perfumery, though it has now been largely displaced by synthetics.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Ambergris

   am′bėr-grēs, n. a fragrant substance of an ash-gray colour, found floating on the sea or on the seacoast of warm countries, and in the intestines of the spermaceti whale. [Fr. ambre gris, gray amber.]

The Nuttall EncyclopediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Ambergris

   an ashy-coloured odorous substance used in perfumery, presumed to be a morbid fragment of the intestines of the spermaceti whale, being often found floating on the ocean which it frequents.

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Ambergris

   A gray substance found in the GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT of the SPERM WHALE.

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. ambergris

   A fragrant drug found floating on sea-coasts, the origin and production of which was long a matter of dispute, although now known to be a morbid product developed in the intestines of the spermaceti whale (Physeter macrocephalus). It is of a grayish colour, very light, easily fusible, and is used both as a perfume and a cordial, in various extracts, essences, and tinctures.

Matched Categories

1. • Animal Product

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce ambergris?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say ambergris in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of ambergris in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of ambergris in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of ambergris in a Sentence

1. Phyllis McGinley:

   Women are the fulfilled sex. Through our children we are able to produce our own immortality, so we lack that divine restlessness which sends men charging off in pursuit of fortune or fame or an imagined Utopia. That is why we number so few geniuses among us. The wholesome oyster wears no pearl, the healthy whale no ambergris, and as long as we can keep on adding to the race, we harbor a sort of health within ourselves.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=ambergris
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Ambergris
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=ambergris
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambergris
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambergris
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=ambergris
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=ambergris
9. ^ The Nuttall Encyclopedia
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12342/pg12342-images.html#Ambergris
10. ^ Dictionary of Nautical Terms
    https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26000/pg26000-images.html#:~:text=ambergris
11. ^ Usage in printed sources
    https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=ambergris