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amber
(redirected from ambers)

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.15 sec.
am·ber  (mbr)
n.
1. A hard translucent yellow, orange, or brownish-yellow fossil resin, used for making jewelry and other ornamental objects.
2. A brownish yellow.
adj.
1. Having the color of amber; brownish-yellow.
2. Made of or resembling amber: an amber necklace.

[Middle English ambre, from Old French, from Medieval Latin ambra, ambar, from Arabic 'anbar, ambergris, amber.]

amber
Noun
a yellow translucent fossilized resin, used in jewellery
Adjective
brownish-yellow [Arabic `anbar ambergris]

amber  (mbr)
A hard, translucent, brownish-yellow substance that is the fossilized resin of ancient trees. It often contains fossil insects.
A Closer Look Certain trees, especially conifers, produce a sticky substance called resin to protect themselves against insects. Normally, it decays in oxygen through the action of bacteria. However, if the resin happens to fall into wet mud or sand containing little oxygen, it can harden and eventually fossilize, becoming the yellowish, translucent substance known as amber. If any insects or other organisms are trapped in the resin before it hardens, they can be preserved, often in exquisite detail. By studying these preserved organisms, scientists are able learn key facts about life on Earth millions of years ago.
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amber
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.amber - a deep yellow color; "an amber light illuminated the room"; "he admired the gold of her hair"
yellow, yellowness - yellow color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of sunflowers or ripe lemons
2.amber - a hard yellowish to brownish translucent fossil resin; used for jewelry
natural resin - a plant exudate
Adj.1.amber - of a medium to dark brownish yellow color
chromatic - being or having or characterized by hue
Translations
Spanish amber [ˈæmbəʳ] námbar m;
at amber (BRIT) (AUT) → en amarillo

French amber [ˈæmbəʳ] nambre m;
at amber (Brit) (Aut) → à l'orange

German amber [ˈæmbəʳ] nBernstein m;
at amber (Brit) (traffic lights) → auf Gelb: (move off) → bei Gelb

Italian amber [ˈæmbəʳ] nambra;
at amber (BRIT) (AUT) → giallo

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? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
Caleb Deschanel's cinematography evokes with ambers and shadows the dusty town the city was then.
Composed in an elegant palette ranging from deep cocoas to ecru with a splash of bright ambers, leather floors and walls and black walnut wood, Manor will bring you back to the traditional definitions of its name.
To behold the indescribably vibrant pink of Audubon's flamingo--to see his almost boringly familiar wild turkey cock spring to life in the National's etching, with its glowing ambers and saffrons and tobaccos and even a touch of gold leaf--is to feel a rush of gratitude to the caretakers who have protected these pictures so well.
 
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