ambergris

• n. 龙涎香；鲸粪

为与amber词义明确而加上的修饰形容词gris, 灰白色，词根同gray.

1. waxy substance secreted by the sperm whale and found floating at sea or washed ashore; used in perfume

ambergris

ambergris: [15] The original term for ambergris (a waxy material from the stomach of the sperm whale) was amber. But as confusion began to arise between the two substances amber and ambergris, amber came to be used for both in all the languages that had borrowed it from Arabic, thus compounding the bewilderment. The French solution was to differentiate ambergris as ambre gris, literally ‘grey amber’, and this eventually became the standard English term. (Later on, the contrastive term ambre jaune ‘yellow amber’ was coined for ‘amber’ in French.) Uncertainty over the identity of the second element, -gris, has led to some fanciful reformulations of the word.

In the 17th century, many people thought ambergris came from Greece – hence spellings such as amber-degrece and amber-greece. And until comparatively recently its somewhat greasy consistency encouraged the spelling ambergrease.
=> amber

ambergris (n.)

early 15c., from Middle French ambre gris "gray amber" (see amber), "a wax-like substance of ashy colour, found floating in tropical seas, a morbid secretion from the intestines of the sperm-whale. Used in perfumery, and formerly in cookery" [OED]. Its origin was a mystery in Johnson's day, and he records nine different theories. King Charles II's favorite dish was said to be eggs and ambergris [Macauley, "History of England"]. French gris is from Frankish *gris or some other Germanic source (cognates: Dutch grijs, Old High German gris; see gray (adj.)).

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]

When a sperm whale is sick, it many produce a fatty substance called ambergris.

当抹香鲸生病时, 它会产生出一种脂肪物质,被称为龙涎香.

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Ambergris Fragrance. Fragrances are an inexpensive way to perfume unscented hair products and Body Oils.

龙涎香香油, 这款是使发部和身体散发香味的不贵的香油.

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For many years the leading fixatives were the animal products ambergris, civet, musk and castoreum.

多年来,用的较多的固定剂是动物制品龙涎香 、 香猫香 、 麝香、以及河狸香.

辞典例句

A chypre , spicy harmony with notes of Coriander , Clove, Oakmoss and Ambergris.

混合着芫荽, 丁香, 橡苔和龙涎香的香水.

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