Forms: 4 ambra, 5 aumber, -ur, ambyr, 5–7 ambre, 6 awmer, 5– amber. Also 5–6 lamber, -re, lammer. [a. Fr. ambre, cogn. w. Pr. ambre, Pr. and It. ambra, Sp. ambar, med.L. ambar, -are, -er, -ra, -re, -rum, a. Arab. sanbar, ‘ambergris,’ to which the name orig. belonged; afterwards extended, through some confusion of the substances, to the fossil resin ‘amber.’ In Fr. the two are distinguished as grey, and yellow amber, ambre gris (‘ambre proprement dit’), and ambre jaune (succin); in mod.Eng. as amber-gris and amber. In the north. dial. the latter was formerly distinguished as LAMBER, a. Fr. l’ambre with article attached.]
I. A product of the whale.
† 1. orig. = AMBERGRIS. (In 17th c. greece of amber, gris ambre, gray amber.) Obs.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XIII. xxvi. 463. The whale haþ gret plente of sperme … and yf it is gaderid and dryeþ, it turneþ to þe substaunce of ambra [1535 ambre].
1477. Norton, Ord. Alch., in Ashm. (1652), v. 70. Amber, Narde, and Mirrhe.
1587. Harrison, England, I. II. xx. (1877), 330. Induing them [the fruits] with the sauour of muske, ambre, or sweet spices at their pleasures.
1662. Fuller, Worthies, I. 194. It is called Ambra-gresia, That is, Gray Amber, from the Colour thereof.
1670. Cotton, Espernon, III. IX. 447. Some pieces of Amber-gris, (or rather black Amber, for it was of that colour).
1693. in Blount, Nat. Hist., 14. Great variety of Opinions hath there been concerning Amber. Some think it to be a Gum that distils from Trees: Others tell us, it is made of Whales Dung; or else of their Sperm or Seed, (as others will have it,) which being consolidate and harden’d by the Sea is cast upon the Shore.
1718. Lady M. Montague, Lett., I. xxxvii. 146. Slaves … with silver censers … perfumed the air with amber, aloes-wood, and other scents.
b. attrib.
1634. Habington, Castara (1870), 85. A mighty showre Of Amber comfits it sweete selfe did powre Vpon our heads.
1671. Milton, Samson, 720. An amber scent of odorous perfume.
† 2. White Amber (med.L. ambra alba): Spermaceti. [Confused with prec., as the ‘sperm’ of a whale.] Obs. (See also 6.)
[Cf. 1598–1611. Florio, Ambra, amber, also amber greece, also the sperme of a Whale called Spermaceti.
1611. Cotgr., Ambre blanc, white Amber.]
II. The resin.
3. A yellowish translucent fossil resin, found chiefly along the southern shores of the Baltic. It is used for ornaments; burns with an agreeable odor; often entombs the bodies of insects, etc.; and when rubbed becomes notably electric (so called from its Greek name ἤλεκτρον). (See also LAMBER.)
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, V. 1666. Bourdourt about all with bright Aumbur.
c. 1450. Bk. Curtasye, III. 481. The wardrop he herbers, and eke of chambur Ladyes with bedys of coralle and lambur.
1463. in Bury Wills, 15. A peyre bedys of ambyr with a ryng of syluir.
a. 1529. Skelton, Elynour Rummyng, 603. But my bedes of amber, Bere them to my chamber.
1552. Huloet, Ambre called lambre or yelow Ambre.
1556. Richmond. Wills (1853), 89. One paire of long beads of awmer.
1602. Shaks., Haml., II. ii. 200. Thicke Amber, or Plum-Tree Gumme.
1658. Sir T. Browne, Hydriot., ii. 18. That Romane Urne … wherein were found an Ape of Agate, an Elephant of Ambre.
1735. Pope, Ep. Arbuthnot, 169. Pretty! in amber to observe the forms Of hairs, or straws, or dirt, or grubs, or worms!
1794. Sullivan, View Nat., II. 27. Amber, when rubbed, was observed to attract bits of straw, down, and other light bodies.
1847. Blackwell, Malet’s North. Antiq., 374. Byron caught him up, and … preserved him, like a fly in amber, for future generations to wonder at.
1865. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt., I. II. ii. 54. Amber, science declares, is a kind of petrified resin, distilled by pines that were dead before the days of Adam.
Oil of Amber: obtained by its dry distillation. Spirit of Amber: old name of succinic acid.
1551. Robinson, trans. More’s Utopia (1869), 80. Fine linnen cloth dipped in oyle of [printed or] ambre.
1737. Gray, Lett., in Poems (1775), 23. Not hartshorn, nor spirit of amber, nor all that furnishes the closet of an apothecary’s widow.
1879. Syd. Soc. Lex., Amber … is used to prepare oil of amber and succinic acid.
† 4. A piece of amber used as an amulet to attract lovers. Obs.
1604. Dekker, Honest Wh., 51. Pearles and Ambers, Shall not draw me to their Chambers.
1691. Bagford Bal., I. 122. The fair Queen of Egypt she wore a Commode, On the top of it was a lac’d Amber.
5. fig. a. Referring to the property of amber as enclosing and preserving insects of past ages.
1863. Mrs. C. Clarke, Shaks. Char., xii. 314. Full-fledged specimens of your order, preserved for all time in the imperishable amber of his genius.
b. Referring to color: Amber-colored substance or appearance.
1735. Somerville, Chase, III. 173. In the full Glass the liquid Amber smiles, Our native Product.
1830. Tennyson, Margaret, i. The tender amber round, which the moon about her spreadeth. Ibid. (1879), Lover’s T., 32. The loud stream Ran amber toward the west.
1862. Tyndall, Mountaineer., i. 4. The amber of the western sky.
III. Extensions of prec.
6. An alloy of four parts of gold with one of silver (L. ēlectrum, Pliny, Gr. ἤλεκτρον, f. ἠλέκτωρ bright, beaming as the sun, considered by some to be the original sense in Gr. See Liddell & Scott. Used also by the LXX to translate Heb. khashmal, whence in Vulg. and A.V.)
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, XV. 6203. A chariot full choise … the whelis full wheme, all of white aumber.
1430. Lydg., Chron. Troy, II. xii. Like a foole … That aumber yelowe cheseth for the white.
1611. Bible, Ezek. i. 4. Out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber [Wyclif electre], out of the midst of the fire.
7. = LIQUIDAMBER. (The poets vaguely confuse this with senses 1 and 3. See amber-dropping, -weeping, etc. in C 1; amber-varnish in C 2.)
1569. J. Sanford, trans. Agrippa’s Van. Artes, 15. The gumme called Amber, groweth out of a tree.
1850. Mrs. Browning, Comfort, Poems I. 328. Let my tears drop like amber.
8. A local name of the plant called St. John’s-wort.
1861. Pratt, Flower. Pl., II. 14. Hypericum perforatum … In N. Kent, one of the common names of the species is Amber.
B. adj. [orig. attrib. use of sb. Cf. rose, pink, orange, etc.; also Fr. ambré.] Of the color and clearness of amber (sense 3), amber-colored; of a clear yellowish brown.
c. 1500. Almanak ‘for 1386,’ 27. Uryne … þat semes aumbre.
1594. Greene, Orl. Fur. (1861), 111. Where Phœbus dips his amber tresses oft. Ibid. (1599), George a Greene, 63. Those hairs of amber hue.
1610. Histrio-m., ii. 6. I crush out bounty from the amber grape.
1632. Milton, L’Allegro, 61. Robed in flames and amber light. Ibid. (1671), P. R., III. 284. Choaspes, amber stream.
1713. Lond. & Country Brew., I. (1742), 25. Pale and amber Ale.
1853. C. Brontë, Villette, xvi. (1876), 164. Warm in its amber lamp-light.
1877. Bryant, Sella, 96. The sun Stooped towards the amber west.
1879. Miss Braddon, Vixen, III. 132. The Duchess’s amber drawing-rooms.
1879. Tennyson, Lover’s T., 10. Days Of dewy dawning, and the amber eves.
C. comb. (chiefly in sense 3, sometimes 1 or 6).
1. General relations: a. attrib. of material or source, as amber beads, studs, mouthpiece, etc.; b. obj. genitive, and obj. of pple. or vbl. sb., as amber-fishing, -dropping, -weeping, -yielding; c. similative, as amber-clear, -like, -yellow; d. instrumental with pa. pple., as amber-headed, -tipped; passing into e. synthetic derivatives, as amber-colo(u)red (of amber color) -hued, -locked (having amber locks).
1449. in Test. Ebor. (1855), II. 156. A peir of awmbur bedis.
1596. Shaks., Tam. Shr., IV. iii. 58. With Amber Bracelets, Beades, and all this knau’ry.
1711. ‘J. Distaff,’ Don Sacheverellio, 4. The Amber-Head has dropt from his Cane.
1865. Miss Braddon, Only a Clod, iii. 15. The amber mouthpiece of his pipe.
1620. Swetnam Arraigned (1880), 12. Their very breath Is sophisticated with Amber-pellets, and kissing causes.
1637. Milton, Com., 863. Thy amber-dropping hair.
1596. Fitz-Geffrey, Sir F. Drake (1881), 88. Th’ amber-weeping Pegase-hoofe-made fount.
1647. Crashaw, Poems, 2 (T.). The soft gold, which Steals from the amber-weeping tree.
1850. Marg. Fuller, Woman in 19th C. (1862), 207. When thoughts flow through the mind amber-clear and soft.
1667. H. More, Div. Dial., V. x. (1713), 434. This pure amber-like or transparent Gold.
1817. Coleridge, Sib. Leaves, 233.
| And then they argued of those rays, | |
| What colour they might be: | |
| Says this, ‘they’re mostly green;’ says that, | |
| ‘They’re amber-like to me.’ |
1748. Smollett, Rod. Rand., xxxiv. (1804), 225. An amber-headed cane hung dangling from his wrist.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., IV. iii. 88. An Amber coloured Rauen.
1713. Lond. & Country Brew., I. (1742), 12. The amber-coloured Malt.
1729. Savage, Wanderer, III. (Jod.). Yon amber-hued cascade.
1831. Carlyle, Sart. Res., I. v. 26. Thy own amber-locked, snow-and-rose-bloom Maiden.
2. Special combinations: amber-bush, a head of amber-colo(u)red hair, a youthful head; amber-crowned a. crowned or covered with amber hair; amber-drink, drink of amber color and transparency; amber Fauna, the animals of which the remains are found in amber; amber fishing, fishing or dredging at the bottom of the sea for amber; amber Flora, the plants of which specimens are found in amber; amber-forest, the primeval forest from the trees of which amber exuded; amber oil (see A 3); amber pear, a pear with the odor of ambergris, an AMBRETTE; amber-plum; amber-varnish, made of liquid amber or copal. Also AMBER-SEED, AMBER-TREE, q.v.
1605. Sylvester, Du Bartas, 471. A gray-beards wisedom in an amber-bush.
1580. Sidney, Arcadia (1622), 425. Bending her amber-crowned head ouer her bedside.
1626. Bacon, Sylva, § 312. All your Cleare Amber Drinke is flat.
1880. Cope’s Tobacco Pl., Oct., 531/1. Treating of the Amber Flora and the Amber Fauna.
1828. Carlyle, Misc. (1857), I. 94. The savage Prussians with their amber-fishing.
1854. T. R. Jones, in Q. Jrnl. Geol. S., X. II. 4. Twigs of Thuia occidentalis (found in the Amber-flora). Ibid., X. II. 3. A similar extension in former times of the Amber-forests.
1741. Compl. Fam.-Piece, II. iii. 388. Amber Pear, Muscat Robine, Poir sans Peau.
1718. Mrs. Eales, Receipt, 25. Take the green Amber Plum, prick it all over with a Pin.
1867. J. Hogg, Microsc., I. ii. 155. The wood having been previously lightly inked with printers’ ink or amber-varnish.
