was wotd|2006|April|3
English
Etymology
From medieval L. ambrum "amber" or ambra grisea "grey amber".
Pronunciation
audio|en-us-ambergris.ogg|Audio (US)
Alternative spellings
ambergrease
ambragresia
ambre-gris
Noun
wikipedia
ambergris
- uncountable 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.
Quotations
1851 � w:Herman_Melville|Herman Melville, s:Moby-Dick|Moby Dick
:And as for the other whale, why, I�ll agree to get more oil by chopping up and trying out these three masts of ours, than he�ll get from that bundle of bones; though, now that I think of it, it may contain something worth a good deal more than oil; yes, ambergris.
Translations
trans-top|fatty substance
Croatian: t-|hr|ambra|f
Finnish: t-|fi|ambra
French: t-|fr|ambre gris
German: t-|de|Ambra|f, t+|de|Amber
trans-mid
Portuguese: âmbar cinza, âmbar pardo, âmbar gris
Russian: амб�а
trans-bottom
Synonyms
grey amber
Category:English concrete nouns
fr:ambergris
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