nectar

American  

[nek-ter] / ˈnɛk tər /

noun

nectars plural

1. the saccharine secretion of a plant, which attracts the insects or birds that pollinate the flower.

2. the juice of a fruit, especially when not diluted, or a blend of fruit juices.

   pear nectar; tropical nectar.

3. Classical Mythology. the life-giving drink of the gods.

4. any delicious drink.

---

nectar British  

/ nɛkˈtɛərɪəs, ˈnɛktə /

noun

1. a sugary fluid produced in the nectaries of plants and collected by bees and other animals

2. classical myth the drink of the gods Compare ambrosia

3. any delicious drink, esp a sweet one

4. something very pleasant or welcome

   your words are nectar to me

5. 1. the undiluted juice of a fruit

   2. a mixture of fruit juices

---

nectar Scientific  

/ nĕk′tər /

1. A sweet liquid secreted by plants as food to attract animals that will benefit them. Many flowers produce nectar to attract pollinating insects, birds, and bats. Bees collect nectar to make into honey. Nectar is produced in structures called nectaries. Some plants have nectaries located elsewhere, outside the flower. These provide a food source for animals such as ants which in turn defend the plant from harmful insects. Nectar consists primarily of water and varying concentrations of many different sugars, including fructose, glucose, and sucrose.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nectareous
  adjective
• nectarlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nectars
  plural

Etymology

Origin of nectar

1545–55; < Latin < Greek néktar

Explanation

Delicious, sweet, and special, nectar is the best juice you can imagine. When the ancient Greeks visualized the gods having a party on their Olympian lawns, they saw nectar in their cups. Nectar was originally used to describe the drinks of the gods, but regular old humans need the good stuff too. Serious wine lovers would describe their drink as nectar, while the serious raw food eater might save the term for a ginger-beet-cayenne juice. If you ask the hummingbird, she would give you a very tiny straw and direct you to the nectaries of a flower.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nectar nectars

The nectar return has to make the expenditure of energy worthwhile.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Bumblebees cannot collect water in the way honeybees do, they get most of the liquid they need from nectar, so wetter nectar can help make colonies more resilient in hot weather.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

The Aero warms the water and incorporates the matcha, leaving you with a frothy base to serve on its own or mix with milk, lemonade, peach nectar or even espresso.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

The film cuts to a hummingbird sipping nectar from a flower on a cactus, a sea turtle floating over a coral reef, pink flamingos on a green lake, a snowflake, a butterfly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

They allowed him to eat at their table, to taste the nectar and ambrosia which except for him alone none but the immortals could partake of.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

But when Baby and colleagues teased out the contents of the nectars of N. khasiana and several other pitcher plants growing in their institute’s botanic garden, they found something unexpected.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 29, 2023

Researchers wondered whether pollinators might be deterred by such nectars, but they discovered the opposite.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 16, 2023

Look one way and you’ll see Gina mango nectars and Calamansi fruit sodas.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 1, 2021

It can also make luscious, ambrosial nectars that are syrupy sweet while still lively and refreshing, which can likewise grow more complex for decades.

From New York Times ● Jul. 1, 2021

After the Georgia legislature declared a prohibition against alcoholic beverages in 1907, Papa quit making or drinking beer—he believed in being law-abiding—and the churches started using fruit nectars instead of wine.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

Related Words

• honey