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 menu features bratwurst with sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, pickled beets and ambrosia. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "DAR chapter receives Proclamations for Constitution Week," 30 Sep. 2019 And when the citizens of Thebes asked Hercules to prove his strength by helping with affordable housing, the 1,800 or so citizens at the Delacorte lapped it up like ambrosia. — Jesse Green, New York Times, "Review: Public Works Finds the Heroism in ‘Hercules’," 2 Sep. 2019 Culprit’s boysenberry marshmallow ambrosia is one to try, as is Orphan’s Kitchen’s avocado bombe Alaska, served with lime and Kahikatea peppercorn, (a native pine). — Amy Louise Bailey, Vogue, "The 7 Dishes You Have to Eat in New Zealand," 25 July 2018 Items like ambrosia, bombe Alaska, pavlova, and banana split sundaes have made a bold return with a contemporary spin. — Amy Louise Bailey, Vogue, "The 7 Dishes You Have to Eat in New Zealand," 25 July 2018 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

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.