amber

amberpolished amber pendant

am·ber

A0242000 (ăm′bər)n.1. A hard, translucent, usually brownish-yellow fossil resin, used for making jewelry and other ornamental objects.2. A brownish yellow.adj.1. Having the color of amber; brownish-yellow.2. Made of or resembling amber: an amber necklace.

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[Middle English ambre, from Old French, from Medieval Latin ambra, ambar, from Arabic 'anbar, ambergris, amber.]

amber

(ˈæmbə) n1. (Elements & Compounds) a. a yellow or yellowish-brown hard translucent fossil resin derived from extinct coniferous trees that occurs in Tertiary deposits and often contains trapped insects. It is used for jewellery, ornaments, etcb. (as modifier): an amber necklace. succinic2. fly in amber a strange relic or reminder of the past3. (Colours) a. a medium to dark brownish-yellow colour, often somewhat orange, similar to that of the resinb. (as adjective): an amber dress. 4. an amber traffic light used as a warning between red and green[C14: from Medieval Latin ambar, from Arabic `anbar ambergris]

am•ber

(ˈæm bər)

n. 1. a yellow, red, or brown translucent fossil resin of coniferous trees that becomes charged with static electricity when rubbed: used for jewelry. 2. the yellowish brown color of amber. adj. 3. yellowish brown. 4. made of amber. [1350–1400; Middle English ambre < Old French < Medieval Latin ambra < Arabic ‘anbar ambergris]

fossilized ant

am·ber

(ăm′bər) A hard, translucent, brownish-yellow substance that is the fossilized resin of ancient trees. It often contains fossil insects.Did You Know? The plot of the movie Jurassic Park turns on the extraordinary ability of amber to preserve ancient life as miniature fossils. In the movie, scientists extract dinosaur DNA from blood in the stomach of a mosquito that was trapped in amber during the Mesozoic Era. The scientists then use the DNA to create clones of the dinosaurs that end up terrorizing the park and the movie audience. What is amber, and how does it preserve such delicate tissues for millions of years? Certain trees, especially conifers, produce a sticky substance called resin to protect themselves against insects. Normally, it decays in oxygen through the action of bacteria. However, if the resin happens to fall into wet mud or sand containing little oxygen, it can harden and eventually fossilize, becoming the yellowish, translucent substance known as amber. If any insects or other organisms are trapped in the resin before it hardens, they can be preserved, often in amazing detail. While amber may sometimes preserve fragments of the DNA of the enclosed organisms, fossil mosquitoes would not contain enough dinosaur DNA to actually create clones, and the sight of dinosaurs again roaming the Earth, even in an island park, remains part of science fiction rather than real science.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	amber - a deep yellow color; "an amber light illuminated the room"; "he admired the gold of her hair"goldyellow, yellowness - yellow color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of sunflowers or ripe lemons
	2.	amber - a hard yellowish to brownish translucent fossil resin; used for jewelrynatural resin - a plant exudate
Adj.	1.	amber - of a medium to dark brownish yellow colorbrownish-yellow, yellow-brownchromatic - being or having or characterized by hue

amber

nounRelated words
adjective succinic

Translations

琥珀

amber

(ˈӕmbə) noun, adjective (of) a hard yellow or brownish substance, formed from resin, used in making jewellery etc. made of amber; an amber brooch. 琥珀 琥珀

amber

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