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AMBERGRIS

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am⋅ber⋅gris

  [am-ber-grees, -gris]
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–noun
an opaque, ash-colored secretion of the sperm whale intestine, usually found floating on the ocean or cast ashore: used in perfumery.
Origin:
1375–1425; < MF ambre gris gray amber (see amber ); r. late ME imbergres
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Hotels On Ambergris Caye
Hotels on Ambergris Caye, Belize. Priceline: No One Deals Like We Do.
www.priceline.com
am·ber·gris   (ām'bər-grĭs', -grēs')   
n.  A waxy grayish substance formed in the intestines of sperm whales and found floating at sea or washed ashore. It is added to perfumes to slow down the rate of evaporation.

[Middle English, from Old French ambre gris : ambre, amber; see amber + gris, gray; see grisaille.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

ambergris 
1481, from M.Fr. ambre gris "gray amber" (see amber), "a wax-like substance of ashy colour, found floating in tropical seas, and as a morbid secretion in the intestines of the sperm-whale. Used in perfumery, and formerly in cookery." [OED] King Charles II's favorite dish was said to be eggs and ambergris [Macauley, "History of England"]. Fr. gris is from Frank. *gris (cf. Du. grijs, O.H.G. gris; see gray).
"Praise is like ambergris; a little whiff of it, by snatches, is very agreeable; but when a man holds a whole lump of it to his nose, it is a stink and strikes you down." [Pope, c.1720]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: am·ber·gris
Pronunciation: 'am-b&r-"gris, -"grE(s)
Function: noun
: a waxy substance found floating in or on the shores oftropical waters, believed to originate in the intestines of the sperm whale, and used in perfumery as a fixative
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Science Dictionary
ambergris   (ām'bər-grĭs', -grēs')  Pronunciation Key 
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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