ambergris

American  

[am-ber-grees, -gris] / ˈæm bərˌgris, -grɪs /

noun

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

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ambergris British  

/ -ˌɡrɪs, ˈæmbəˌɡriːs /

noun

1. 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

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ambergris Scientific  

/ ăm′bər-grĭs′,-grēs′ /

1. A yellow, gray, or black waxy material formed in the intestines of sperm whales that consists of a mixture of steroid derivatives. It is often found floating at sea or washed ashore, has a pleasant odor, and is added to perfumes as a fixative to slow down the rate of evaporation.

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Etymology

Origin of ambergris

1375–1425; < Middle French ambre gris gray amber ( see amber); replacing late Middle English imbergres

Example Sentences

Unlike earlier consecration oils, no ambergris — a product of whale intestine — was used, making the oil “vegan-friendly” according to media reports.

From Washington Times • Apr. 30, 2023

Previous versions have included civet oil, from the glands of the small mammals, and ambergris from the intestines of whales.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2023

She eventually added ambergris, an exceedingly rare and expensive substance produced when sperm whale intestines are wounded by the beaks of giant squid.

From Salon • Apr. 30, 2022

The scented beans were then ground with additional flowers — vanilla orchids likewise imported from the New World — and sugar, cinnamon and ambergris, the waxy slough from the intestines of a sperm whale.

From New York Times • Sep. 6, 2021

Dad would rub imaginary spray out of his eyes, and scan the horizon for possible sperm whale, Flying Dutchmen, or floating ambergris.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey