am·ber·gris

(ăm′bər-grĭs′, -grēs′)

A waxy grayish substance from the intestines of sperm whales that was used as a fixative and a fragrance in the manufacture of perfumes. It is found floating at sea or washed ashore and was formerly extracted from whale carcasses.

[Middle English, from Old French ambre gris : ambre, amber; see amber + gris, gray; see grisaille.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ambergris

(ˈæmbəˌɡriːs; -ˌɡrɪs)

(Biochemistry) a waxy substance consisting mainly of cholesterol secreted by the intestinal tract of the sperm whale and often found floating in the sea: used in the manufacture of perfumes

[C15: from Old French ambre gris grey amber]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

am•ber•gris

(ˈæm bərˌgris, -grɪs)

n.

an opaque, ash-colored secretion of the sperm whale intestine, usu. found floating on the ocean or cast ashore: used in perfumery.

[1375–1425; late Middle English imbergres < Middle French ambre gris literally, gray amber]

am·ber·gris

(ăm′bər-grĭs′, ăm′bər-grēs′)

A grayish, waxy material formed in the intestines of sperm whales, often found floating at sea or washed ashore. It is used to make perfumes.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

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

animal product - a product made from animal material

Translations

ambra

ambra

ambergris

[ˈæmbəgriːs] N → ámbar m gris

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

ambergris

[ˈæmbə^rgriː] n → ambre m gris

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

ambergris

n → Amber m, → Ambra f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

ambergris

[ˈæmbəˌgriːs] n → ambra grigia

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

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. I wonder now if our old man has thought of that.

Sounding him carefully, Stubb further perceived that the Guernsey-man had not the slightest suspicion concerning the ambergris. He therefore held his peace on that head, but otherwise was quite frank and confidential with him, so that the two quickly concocted a little plan for both circumventing and satirizing the Captain, without his at all dreaming of distrusting their sincerity.

And this, good friends, is ambergris, worth a gold guinea an ounce to any druggist.

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"She distils nothing of the kind, vile rabble," said Don Quixote, burning with rage, "nothing of the kind, I say, only ambergris and civet in cotton; nor is she one-eyed or humpbacked, but straighter than a Guadarrama spindle: but ye must pay for the blasphemy ye have uttered against beauty like that of my lady."

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I found myself in a large, vaulted room, lighted by tapers, scented with aloes and ambergris, standing in golden candle-sticks, whilst gold and silver lamps hung from the ceiling.

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He tried to analyse the trick, to find a clue to it in the way the chairs and tables were grouped, in the fact that only two Jacqueminot roses (of which nobody ever bought less than a dozen) had been placed in the slender vase at his elbow, and in the vague pervading perfume that was not what one put on handkerchiefs, but rather like the scent of some far-off bazaar, a smell made up of Turkish coffee and ambergris and dried roses.

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He saw that there was no mood of the mind that had not its counterpart in the sensuous life, and set himself to discover their true relations, wondering what there was in frankincense that made one mystical, and in ambergris that stirred one's passions, and in violets that woke the memory of dead romances, and in musk that troubled the brain, and in champak that stained the imagination; and seeking often to elaborate a real psychology of perfumes, and to estimate the several influences of sweet-smelling roots and scented, pollen-laden flowers; of aromatic balms and of dark and fragrant woods; of spikenard, that sickens; of hovenia, that makes men mad; and of aloes, that are said to be able to expel melancholy from the soul.

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The Hajji said: 'I go to my own place,' and he loosed from his neck a chained heart of ambergris set in soft gold and held it forth.

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With notes of grapefruit and jasmine to start, the cologne develops with a fuller scent of patchouli, oak moss and ambergris, making for a hit of smooth and delicate perfume.

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"Meanwhile its woody base includes notes of patchouli, oak moss and ambergris. Keeping skin hydrated, moisturised, soft and protected.

Latest space-saving gadgets and essentials for the travelling man; Wax cologne has texture of Vaseline but scent packs a punch, while pocket-sized grooming tool is seven-in-one wonder

Bergamot, rose, ambergris and vanilla add bounce and modern touch, making 'My Gold' a joyous fragrance for all occasions.

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SPERM WHALEOutside the hall is a large skeleton of a sperm whale, a reminder of trade in ambergris, a secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale used to manufacture perfume.Trees hang over the ruins, giving it a cool ambience, ideal for picnics.

Jumba la Mtwana harbours secret of bygone Swahili era