Definition of AMBROSIA

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Ambrosia literally means "immortality" in Greek; it is derived from the Greek word ambrotos ("immortal"), which combines the prefix a- (meaning "not") with mbrotos ("mortal"). In Greek and Roman mythology, only the immortals-gods and goddesses-could eat ambrosia. Those mythological gods and goddesses also drank nectar, the original sense of which refers to the "drink of the gods." Nectar (in Greek, nektar) may have implied immortality as well; nektar is believed to have carried the literal meaning "overcoming death." While the ambrosia of the gods implied immortality, we mere mortals use ambrosia in reference to things that just taste or smell especially delicious. Similarly, nectar can now simply mean "something delicious to drink."

Examples of ambrosia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The coral-hued ambrosia was her tactic for getting me to recite the alphabet and my numbers. — Liz Rubin, San Francisco Chronicle, "The lasting lessons of childhood influences," 25 May 2018 The elephant calves bridled at cow’s milk, but Ms. Sheldrick — after successfully devising a formula for baby rhinos — eventually landed on an ambrosia-like mixture that incorporated coconut oil. — Harrison Smith, Washington Post, "Daphne Sheldrick, who created an elephant orphanage in Kenya, dies at 83," 15 Apr. 2018 Gillanders frequently pushes the right buttons, as with a quartet of black truffle croquettes encasing a matrix of gooey aged white cheddar and jalapeño and releasing a fungal ambrosia that rises to your nostrils. — Mike Sula, Chicago Reader, "The pan-Asian S.K.Y. opens on Pilsen," 23 Jan. 2018 Saté Kampar is one, transporting on the ambrosia of Malaysian skewered meats sizzling over coals. — Craig Laban, Philly.com, "Saté Kampar is like traveling across the globe," 9 Dec. 2017 For some people, the trendy-in-2014 brunch staple is ambrosia, the food of the gods. — Maura Judkis, charlotteobserver, "Is avocado toast breaking millennials’ bank?," 16 May 2017 One-way transportation to or from the center is $1. MENU Thursday, Aug. 24: Chicken enchilada casserole, chuckwagon corn, Mexican rice, ambrosia. Friday, Aug. 25: Macaroni and cheese, carrots, rolls, cantaloupe. — Ramona Sentinel, "Ramona Senior Center," 23 Aug. 2017 The beetle pushing out these toothpicks is called the granulate ambrosia beetle (or the Asian ambrosia beetle), Xylosandrus crassiusculus. — Jefferson County Cooperative Extension, AL.com, "Beetles attacking stressed trees in the landscape (Garden Talk)," 7 Aug. 2017 For some people, the trendy-in-2014 brunch staple is ambrosia, the food of the gods. — Maura Judkis, charlotteobserver, "Is avocado toast breaking millennials’ bank?," 16 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ambrosia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.