A waxy substance formed in the digestive system of sperm whales, highly valued in perfumery for its ability to make fragrances last longer. It washes up on beaches as gray, waxy lumps.
From Arabic ʿanbar meaning 'amber' combined with Old French gris meaning 'gray', literally 'gray amber'. Medieval Arabic texts first described this mysterious substance found floating in the ocean. The word entered English via Old French ambre gris in the 14th century, when its whale origin was still unknown.
For centuries, people thought ambergris was either sea foam, dragon saliva, or hardened bird droppings—nobody suspected it came from whale intestines! Arabic scholars were the first to systematically study and trade this 'floating gold' that could be worth more than its weight in actual gold.
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