amber

¹ American  

[am-ber] / ˈæm bər /

noun

1. a pale yellow, sometimes reddish or brownish, fossil resin of vegetable origin, translucent, brittle, and capable of gaining a negative electrical charge by friction and of being an excellent insulator: used for making jewelry and other ornamental articles.

2. the yellowish-brown color of resin.

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adjective

1. of the color of amber; yellowish-brown.

   amber fields of grain.

2. made of amber.

   amber earrings.

Amber ² American  

[am-ber] / ˈæm bər /

noun

1. a first name.

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amber British  

/ ˈæmbə /

noun

1. 1. a yellow or yellowish-brown hard translucent fossil resin derived from extinct coniferous trees that occurs in Tertiary deposits and often contains trapped insects. It is used for jewellery, ornaments, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      an amber necklace

2. a strange relic or reminder of the past

3. 1. a medium to dark brownish-yellow colour, often somewhat orange, similar to that of the resin

   2. ( as adjective )

      an amber dress

4. an amber traffic light used as a warning between red and green

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amber Scientific  

/ ăm′bər /

1. A hard, translucent, brownish-yellow substance that is the fossilized resin of ancient trees. It often contains fossil insects.

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Closer Look

Certain trees, especially conifers, produce a sticky substance called resin to protect themselves against insects. Normally, it decays in oxygen through the action of bacteria. However, if the resin happens to fall into wet mud or sand containing little oxygen, it can harden and eventually fossilize, becoming the yellowish, translucent substance known as amber. If any insects or other organisms are trapped in the resin before it hardens, they can be preserved, often in exquisite detail. By studying these preserved organisms, scientists are able learn key facts about life on Earth millions of years ago.

Other Word Forms

• amberlike adjective
• amberous adjective
• ambery adjective

Etymology

Origin of amber

1350–1400; Middle English ambre < Old French < Medieval Latin ambra < Arabic ʿanbar ambergris; confusion of the dissimilar substances perhaps because both were rare, valuable, and found on seacoasts

Example Sentences

The titular “hare with the amber eyes” in Edmund de Waal’s memoir is a netsuke, a tiny Japanese carving intended as a fastener for use with a kimono.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

In the 1830s, however, the city, then the capital of East Prussia, was “still bathed in the amber glow of the late Enlightenment,” as Christopher Clark tells us in “A Scandal in Königsberg.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

It was escalated to a red warning on 5 March before returning to amber.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Roads are closed and several rail services have been disrupted in the south-west of England, an area covered by several warnings including an amber alert for rain.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

Wolf watched him intently his amber eyes quite un.cub-like.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver