# ambrosia
## English
### Etymology

From Latin ambrosia (“food of the gods”), from Ancient Greek ἀμβροσία (ambrosía, “immortality”), from ἄμβροτος (ámbrotos, “immortal”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) +‎ βροτός (brotós, “mortal”).

### Pronunciation

* (US) IPA: /æmˈbɹoʊʒə/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)

### Noun

ambrosia (countable and uncountable, plural ambrosias or (rare) ambrosiae)
* (Greek mythology, Roman mythology) The food of the gods, thought to confer immortality.
** 1845 November, Caroline Lee Hentz, “The Mysterious Reticule”, in Sarah J[osepha] Hale, Morton M’Michael, Louis A[ntoine] Godey, editors, Godey’s Magazine and Lady’s Book, volume XXXI, number 16, Philadelphia, Pa.: Louis A. Godey, […], page 202, column 1:He had a most intense admiration of female loveliness, and looked upon woman as a kind of super-angelic being, whose food should be the ambrosiæ and nectar of the gods, and whose garments the spotless white of vestal purity.
* (Greek mythology, Roman mythology) The anointing-oil of the gods.
* Any food with an especially delicious flavour or fragrance.
* Anything delightfully sweet and pleasing.
** 2001, Jamal A. Rayyis, Food & Wine Magazine’s Wine Guide 2002, New York, N.Y.: American Express Publishing Corporation, →ISBN, pages 112 and 278:A favorite. It’s refreshing now and will evolve into golden ambrosia with age. […] The dessert wines of the Loire Valley and AJsace also deserve recognition. From the Anjou area of the Loire come the ambrosiae of Savennières, Bonnezeaux, and Quarts de Chaume.
* An annual herb historically used medicinally and in cooking, Dysphania botrys.
* A mixture of nectar and pollen prepared by worker bees and fed to larvae.
* Any fungus of a number of species that insects such as ambrosia beetles carry as symbionts, "farming" them on poor-quality food such as wood, where they grow, providing food for the insect.
* A dessert originating in the Southern United States made of shredded coconuts and tropical fruits such as pineapples and oranges; some recipes also include ingredients such as marshmallow and cream.
* A plant of the genus Ambrosia.
    Synonym: ragweed
** 1905 June, W[illia]m [Philipps] Dunbar, “An Address on the Cause and Treatment of Hay-Fever”, in H[anau] W[olf] Loeb, editor, Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology, volume XIV, number 2, St. Louis, Mo.: Jones H. Parker, […], page 315:Their disease does not appear before August. At this time, throughout the entire United States one could say, not only in every field, in every meadow and in every forest, but even in the largest cities, there blooms the ambrosiæ, which are commonly known as ragweed; […]
** 1916 September 16, W[illiam] Scheppegrell, “Direct and Indirect Hay-Fever: Preliminary Report of the Research Department of the American Hay-Fever-Prevention Association on the Etiology of Hay-Fever”, in George H[enry] Simmons, editor, The Journal of the American Medical Association, volume LXVII, number 12, Chicago, Ill.: American Medical Association, pages 862–863:Fig. 1.—Spiculated pollens of ragweeds (ambrosias) low in protein. […] In the cocklebur (Xanthium americanum) and the rough wild elder (Iva ciliata), the spicules are shorter, being 0.7 and 0.5 microns, and the reaction is proportionately less active than with the ragweeds (ambrosias). […] While the grass pollens have so light a coat that they are frequently crushed in the ordinary process of mounting, the ragweed (ambrosias) pollen grains resist pressure between two glass slides carried to the point of crushing the glass.
** 1917 September, “Eastern and Western Hay Fever Plants”, in The Druggists Circular: A Practical Journal of Pharmacy and General Business Organ for Druggists, volume LXI, number 9 (whole 729), New York, N.Y.: The Druggists Circular, […], page 448, columns 1–2:Dr. William Scheppergrell, in Public Health Reports, states that the common and giant ragweeds (ambrosias), which are the principal causes of hay fever in the Eastern States, do not grow so abundantly in the West, and that the pollens of other plants, notably the wormwoods (artemisias), are the exciting causes of hay fever in the Pacific and Mountain States. […] [quoting Scheppegrell] The most important hay-fever weeds of the Pacific and Mountain States, and which give the most severe reaction, are the wormwoods (artemisias). While their pollen is not produced in the same profusion as that of the ragweeds (ambrosias), they give a marked hay-fever reaction which in some species is five times as active as that of the ragweed (ambrosia).The original report by Scheppegrell has artemisias and ambrosias capitalized and in italics.
** 1943 July 11, Julia Durham, “Social and Personal: Blue Ribbons Awarded 22 Exhibitors; Red Ribbons To 13 In Flower Show”, in Kentucky Advocate, volume LXXVIII, number 3, Danville, Ky., page three:Section G: The Collector’s corner, Mrs. J. R. Cowan, blue, for her ambrosiae.
** 1967 August 17, Paul Key, “Here’s to Health: Help Available for Hay Feverites”, in The Daily Register, volume 90, number 37, Red Bank, N.J., page 12:Once again there can be heard throughout the eastern part of the country the stacatto sneezing, the hacking cough and the stuffy head of the hay fever patient, for ragweed season is upon us. As it does each year, about the fifteenth of August, plants of the group called ambrosiae spread their pollens to the wind and the misery begins.
** 1974, E. M. Shumakov, G. V. Gusev, N. S. Fedorinchik, editors, Biological Agents for Plant Protection, Moscow: "Kolos", →OCLC, page 307:The ambrosias [ragweeds] are not only very harmful competitors of plants, but they also are dangerous vectors of allergic illnesses of man.
** 1980, William R. Solomon, “Common Pollen and Fungus Allergens”, in C[harles] Warren Bierman, David S. Pearlman, editors, Allergic Diseases of Infancy, Childhood and Adolescence, Philadelphia, Pa., Eastbourne, East Sussex, Toronto, Ont.: W. B. Saunders Company, →ISBN, section “Etiologic and Pathogenetic Considerations”, page 232, column 1:To the west, perennial ragweed (A. psilostachya) and additional species including perennial slender ragweed (A. confertiflora) and annual bur ragweed (A. acanthocarpa) are prominent in the Great Plains and Great Basin areas, while canyon ragweed (A. ambrosioides), rabbit bush (A. deltoidea), and burroweed (A. dumosa) are ragweeds of southwestern deserts. Several of these species previously were classified in the genus Franseria (as “false ragweeds”); however, they appear to be valid ambrosias with respect to both form and pollen allergens.
** 1995, Bill Branon, “Melody”, in Devils Hole, New York, N.Y.: HarperCollins, →ISBN, page 45:Sunflowers grace most of the continental United States with a lush, vibrant beauty. But not the ambrosiae. These plants—also called western ragweed—populate the sprawling southwestern flatlands of the Mojave, the Sonoran, and the Great Basin deserts.

#### Derived terms

* ambrosia beetle
* ambrosiac
* ambrosia fungus
* ambrosial
* ambrosian
* ambrosiate

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

#### See also

* manna (noun)
* mead (noun)
* nectar (noun)

### Further reading

* Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “ambrosia”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
* Ambrosia on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* Dysphania botrys on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* Bee pollen on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* Ambrosia fungi on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* Ambrosia (fruit salad) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* Ragweed on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

### Anagrams

* Saboraim

## Finnish
### Etymology

From taxonomic name Ambrosia.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɑmbrosiɑ/, [ˈɑ̝m.bro̞ˌs̠iɑ̝]
* Rhymes: -iɑ
* Hyphenation: amb‧ro‧sia

### Noun

ambrosia
* ambrosia

#### Declension

Possessive forms of ambrosia (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
ambrosiani
ambrosiani
accusative
nom.
ambrosiani
ambrosiani
gen.
ambrosiani
genitive
ambrosiani
ambrosioideni ambrosioitteni ambrosiaini $^{rare}$
partitive
ambrosiaani
ambrosioitani
inessive
ambrosiassani
ambrosioissani
elative
ambrosiastani
ambrosioistani
illative
ambrosiaani
ambrosioihini
adessive
ambrosiallani
ambrosioillani
ablative
ambrosialtani
ambrosioiltani
allative
ambrosialleni
ambrosioilleni
essive
ambrosianani
ambrosioinani
translative
ambrosiakseni
ambrosioikseni
abessive
ambrosiattani
ambrosioittani
instructive
comitative
—ambrosioineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
ambrosiasi
ambrosiasi
accusative
nom.
ambrosiasi
ambrosiasi
gen.
ambrosiasi
genitive
ambrosiasi
ambrosioidesi ambrosioittesi ambrosiaisi $^{rare}$
partitive
ambrosiaasi
ambrosioitasi
inessive
ambrosiassasi
ambrosioissasi
elative
ambrosiastasi
ambrosioistasi
illative
ambrosiaasi
ambrosioihisi
adessive
ambrosiallasi
ambrosioillasi
ablative
ambrosialtasi
ambrosioiltasi
allative
ambrosiallesi
ambrosioillesi
essive
ambrosianasi
ambrosioinasi
translative
ambrosiaksesi
ambrosioiksesi
abessive
ambrosiattasi
ambrosioittasi
instructive
comitative
—ambrosioinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
ambrosiamme
ambrosiamme
accusative
nom.
ambrosiamme
ambrosiamme
gen.
ambrosiamme
genitive
ambrosiamme
ambrosioidemme ambrosioittemme ambrosiaimme $^{rare}$
partitive
ambrosiaamme
ambrosioitamme
inessive
ambrosiassamme
ambrosioissamme
elative
ambrosiastamme
ambrosioistamme
illative
ambrosiaamme
ambrosioihimme
adessive
ambrosiallamme
ambrosioillamme
ablative
ambrosialtamme
ambrosioiltamme
allative
ambrosiallemme
ambrosioillemme
essive
ambrosianamme
ambrosioinamme
translative
ambrosiaksemme
ambrosioiksemme
abessive
ambrosiattamme
ambrosioittamme
instructive
comitative
—ambrosioinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
ambrosianne
ambrosianne
accusative
nom.
ambrosianne
ambrosianne
gen.
ambrosianne
genitive
ambrosianne
ambrosioidenne ambrosioittenne ambrosiainne $^{rare}$
partitive
ambrosiaanne
ambrosioitanne
inessive
ambrosiassanne
ambrosioissanne
elative
ambrosiastanne
ambrosioistanne
illative
ambrosiaanne
ambrosioihinne
adessive
ambrosiallanne
ambrosioillanne
ablative
ambrosialtanne
ambrosioiltanne
allative
ambrosiallenne
ambrosioillenne
essive
ambrosiananne
ambrosioinanne
translative
ambrosiaksenne
ambrosioiksenne
abessive
ambrosiattanne
ambrosioittanne
instructive
comitative
—ambrosioinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
ambrosiansa
ambrosiansa
accusative
nom.
ambrosiansa
ambrosiansa
gen.
ambrosiansa
genitive
ambrosiansa
ambrosioidensa ambrosioittensa ambrosiainsa $^{rare}$
partitive
ambrosiaansa
ambrosioitaan ambrosioitansa
inessive
ambrosiassaan ambrosiassansa
ambrosioissaan ambrosioissansa
elative
ambrosiastaan ambrosiastansa
ambrosioistaan ambrosioistansa
illative
ambrosiaansa
ambrosioihinsa
adessive
ambrosiallaan ambrosiallansa
ambrosioillaan ambrosioillansa
ablative
ambrosialtaan ambrosialtansa
ambrosioiltaan ambrosioiltansa
allative
ambrosialleen ambrosiallensa
ambrosioilleen ambrosioillensa
essive
ambrosianaan ambrosianansa
ambrosioinaan ambrosioinansa
translative
ambrosiakseen ambrosiaksensa
ambrosioikseen ambrosioiksensa
abessive
ambrosiattaan ambrosiattansa
ambrosioittaan ambrosioittansa
instructive
comitative
—ambrosioineen ambrosioinensa :

#### Derived terms

* ambrosiakakku

### Further reading

* “ambrosia”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

## Italian
### Etymology

From Latin ambrosia, borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀμβροσίᾱ (ambrosíā, “immortality”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /amˈbrɔ.zja/
* Rhymes: -ɔzja
* Hyphenation: am‧brò‧sia

### Noun

ambrosia f (plural ambrosie)
* ambrosia (all senses)
* (figurative) honeydew

#### Related terms

* Ambrogio

### Anagrams

* arabismo, bramosia, brasiamo

## Latin
### Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἀμβροσία (ambrosía, “immortality”), from ἄμβροτος (ámbrotos, “immortal”).

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /amˈbro.si.a/, [ämˈbrɔs̠iä]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /amˈbro.si.a/, [ämˈbrɔːs̬iä]

### Noun

ambrosia f (genitive ambrosiae); first declension
* The food of the gods; ambrosia.
* The unguent of the gods.
* The plant, artemisia, of the genus Artemisia.
* An antidote to a poison.

#### Declension

First-declension noun.

#### Derived terms

* ambrosiacus

#### Related terms

* ambrosius

#### Descendants

* → Catalan: ambrosia
* → English: ambrosia
* → Finnish: ambrosia
* → French: ambroisie
* → Italian: ambrosia
* → Portuguese: ambrosia
* → Romanian: ambrozie
* → Russian: амбро́зия f (ambrózija)
* → Spanish: ambrosía

### References

* “ambrosia”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “ambrosia”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
* ambrosia in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
* “ambrosia”, in The Perseus Project (1999) Perseus Encyclopedia‎
* “ambrosia”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
* “ambrosia”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

## Portuguese
### Alternative forms

* ambrósia, ambrôsia

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ɐ̃.bɾoˈzi.ɐ/
* (Brazil) IPA: /ɐ̃.bɾoˈzi.ɐ/
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /ɐ̃.bɾoˈzi.a/
* (Portugal) IPA: /ɐ̃.bɾuˈzi.ɐ/

### Noun

ambrosia f (plural ambrosias)
* (Greek mythology, Roman mythology) ambrosia (food of gods or delicious foods)
* (cooking) Portuguese-Brazilian dessert made with sugar, milk, and eggs

### Further reading

* “ambrosia”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
* “ambrosia”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025
* ambrosia on the Portuguese Wikipedia.Wikipedia $^{pt}$
* ambrosia (doce) on the Portuguese Wikipedia.Wikipedia $^{pt}$

## Swedish
### Noun

ambrosia c
* (Greek mythology) ambrosia
* (figuratively) ambrosia (something very tasty)

#### See also

* nektar

### References

* ambrosia in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* ambrosia in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* ambrosia in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)