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more about ambergris
ambergris |
2 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Ambergris \Am"ber*gris\, n. [F. ambre gris, i. e., gray amber; F. gris gray, which is of German origin: cf OS gr[^i]s, G. greis, gray-haired. See {Amber}.] A substance of the consistence of wax, found floating in the Indian Ocean and other parts of the tropics, and also as a morbid secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale ({Physeter macrocephalus}), which is believed to be in all cases its true origin. In color it is white, ash-gray, yellow, or black, and often variegated like marble. The floating masses are sometimes from sixty to two hundred and twenty-five pounds in weight. It is wholly volatilized as a white vapor at 212[deg] Fahrenheit, and is highly valued in perfumery. --Dana. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: ambergris n : waxy substance secreted by the sperm whale and found floating at sea or washed ashore; used in perfume
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