amber
/ˈæm.bɚ/
Frequency: 3.97 in modern English
Meaning
noun
A hard, generally yellow to brown translucent or transparent fossil resin from extinct coniferous trees of the pine genus, used for jewellery, decoration and later dissolved as a binder in varnishes. One variety, blue amber, appears blue rather than yellow under direct sunlight.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The intermediate light in a set of three traffic lights, which when illuminated indicates that drivers should stop when safe to do so. See also yellow light.
Australian usage; British usage; Countable; Uncountable
noun
The stop codon (nucleotide triplet) "UAG", or a mutant which has this stop codon at a premature place in its DNA sequence.
Countable; Uncountable
adj
Of a brownish yellow colour, like that of most amber.
Example Sentences
- "Ambre is hote and drye […] Some say that it is the sparme of a whale."
- "As for Amber Grice, or Amber Cane, which ist most sweet myngled with other sweete thynges: some say it commeth from the rocks of the Sea. […] Some say it is gotten by a fish called Azelum, which feedeth upon Amber Grece, and dyeth, which is taken by cunnyng fishers and the belly opened, and this precious Amber found in hym."
- "The head of this fish is as hard as stone. The inhabitants of the Ocean sea coast affirme that this fish casteth foorth Amber; but whether the said Amber be the sperma or the excrement thereof, they cannot well determine."
- "Slaves […] with silver Censors […] perfum'd the air with Amber, Aloes wood, and other Scents."
- "The leaves of the foreſt were loaded with manna, pure amber dropped from every bough, honey diſtilled from the rifted rock, and the humming bee, drunk with joy, ſtrayed from flower to flower, forgetful of his burſting cells."
- "With scarfs and fans and double change of bravery, With amber bracelets, beads, and all this knavery."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈæm.bɚ/
- British English: /ˈæm.bəː/