amber

¹

[am-ber]

noun

1. a pale yellow, sometimes reddish or brownish, fossil resin of vegetable origin, translucent, brittle, and capable of gaining a negative electrical charge by friction and of being an excellent insulator: used for making jewelry and other ornamental articles.

2. the yellowish-brown color of resin.

adjective

1. of the color of amber; yellowish-brown.

   amber fields of grain.

2. made of amber.

   amber earrings.

Amber

²

[am-ber]

noun

1. a first name.

amber

/ ˈæmbə /

noun

1. 1. a yellow or yellowish-brown hard translucent fossil resin derived from extinct coniferous trees that occurs in Tertiary deposits and often contains trapped insects. It is used for jewellery, ornaments, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      an amber necklace

2. a strange relic or reminder of the past

3. 1. a medium to dark brownish-yellow colour, often somewhat orange, similar to that of the resin

   2. ( as adjective )

      an amber dress

4. an amber traffic light used as a warning between red and green

amber

1. A hard, translucent, brownish-yellow substance that is the fossilized resin of ancient trees. It often contains fossil insects.

Other Word Forms

• amberlike adjective
• ambery adjective
• amberous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of amber¹

1350–1400; Middle English ambre < Old French < Medieval Latin ambra < Arabic ʿanbar ambergris; confusion of the dissimilar substances perhaps because both were rare, valuable, and found on seacoasts

Word History and Origins

Origin of amber¹

C14: from Medieval Latin ambar, from Arabic `anbar ambergris

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.

Example Sentences

Hart doesn’t respect, hence can’t acknowledge, the human yearning to view the past through a beautiful amber lens.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Scientists have uncovered the first South American amber deposits containing preserved insects in a quarry in Ecuador, according to a study published in Communications Earth & Environment.

Read more on Science Daily

Another amber flag: One-third of her $80,000 is invested in stocks.

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The amber warning remains in place until 21:00 in the north of Scotland and across the rest of the country until midnight.

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An amber weather warning remains in place until 21:00 in the north of Scotland, while a wider yellow warning extends to northern England and parts of Wales until midnight.

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