ambrosia

noun am·bro·sia \ am-ˈbrō-zh(ē-)ə \

Definition of ambrosia

1 a :the food of the Greek and Roman gods

b :the ointment or perfume of the gods

2 :something extremely pleasing to taste or smell

3 :a dessert made of oranges and shredded coconut

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ambrosial

play \am-ˈbrō-zh(ē-)əl\ adjective

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ambrosially

play \-zh(ē-)ə-lē\ adverb

See ambrosia defined for kids

ambrosia was our Word of the Day on 06/10/2014. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of ambrosia from the Web

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
The spread of the redbay ambrosia beetle could have a major economic impact on the avocado industry.

— willie james inman, Fox News, "Beetle threatens Florida avocado industry," 13 July 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
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
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
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
Currently, an $1,800 ambrosia box elder coffee table sits in the lobby.

— anne kniggendorf, kansascity.com, "New Crossroads business turns salvaged, infested KC trees into gorgeous furniture," 15 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.

Did You Know?

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."