amber

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a hard, translucent yellow or brown fossil resin, often used in jewelry and sometimes containing preserved organisms

   A tiny insect was trapped inside the piece of amber.

2. 2
   noun

   a warm yellow-orange or brownish-yellow color

   The leaves turned a deep amber in the autumn sun.

3. 3
   adj

   yellow-orange in color, especially as a warning signal between green and red

   The traffic light turned amber as the car approached the junction.

From Middle English ambre through Old French and Medieval Latin, ultimately from Arabic anbar, 'ambergris.' The borrowed name first referred to the fragrant whale product now called ambergris and was transferred in European use to fossil resin; the compound ambergris, literally 'gray amber,' preserved the distinction. The color sense comes from the resin.

Topics