ambergris

Meaning

Noun

• A solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish color, produced in the intestines of the sperm whale. It is used in perfumes.

Related

Similar words

• amber
• grey amber, gray amber

Origin

• Old French ambre gris ("grey amber"). Though the term was initially spaced as two words, single-word forms predominated by the 19th century. In the 17th century, folk etymologies interpreting the term as amber grease or amber [of] Greece enjoyed some popularity.