ambergris means A solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray to blackish color, formed within the intestines of the sperm whale and used in the production of perfumes. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
ambergris is pronounced /ˈæm.bɚ.ɡɹɪs/.
Why “ambergris” is a great word
AMBERGRIS — [Noun] A solid, waxy, grayish intestinal concretion of the sperm whale, historically prized as a fixative in perfumery. From Old French *ambre gris* ('grey amber'), distinguishing it from yellow amber (*ambre jaune*). Unlike "amber" (a translucent, fossilized tree resin) or "musk" (a sharp, animalic glandular secretion), ambergris is a pathological treasure formed from the indigestible beaks of squid. It is the scent of sun-bleached driftwood on a deserted shore, of low tide over warm rock, and of a long-vanished mariner's library—the olfactory proof that the most sublime value is an alchemical product of affliction, time, and salt.
Etymology
From Old French ambre gris (“grey amber”). Though the term was initially spaced as two words, single-word forms predominated by the 19th century. In the 17th century, folk etymologies interpreting the term as amber grease or amber [of] Greece enjoyed some popularity.
noun
- A solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray to blackish color, formed within the intestines of the sperm whale and used in the production of perfumes.“Your onely way to make a good pomander, is this. Take an ownce of the pureſt garden mould, clenſed and ſteeped ſeauen daies in change of motherleſſe roſe water, then take the beſt Labdanum, Benioine, both Storaxes, amber greece, and Ciuet, and muſke, incorporate them together, and work them into what form you pleaſe; this, if your breath bee not to valiant, will make you ſmell as ſweete as my Ladi”