ambrosia

views updated May 18 2018

am·bro·sia / amˈbrōzh(ē)ə/ • n. Greek & Roman Mythol. the food of the gods. ∎ something very pleasing to taste or smell: the tea was ambrosia after the slop I'd been drinking. ∎ a dessert made with oranges and shredded coconut.DERIVATIVES: am·bro·sial adj.ORIGIN: mid 16th cent.: via Latin from Greek, ‘elixir of life,’ from ambrotos ‘immortal.’

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

ambrosia

views updated May 11 2018

ambrosia in Greek and Roman mythology, the food of the gods, associated with their immortality. The word comes (in the mid 16th century) via Latin from Greek, ‘elixir of life’, from ambrotos ‘immortal’.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

ambrosia

views updated May 18 2018

ambrosia (Gr. myth.) fabled food of the gods. XVI. — L. ambrosia — Gr. ambrosíā immortality, elixir of life, f. ámbrotos immortal.
Hence ambrosial XVI.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD