Part 209

You that smell of amber at my charge. Beau. & Fl.

4. The balsam, liquidambar.

Black amber, and old and popular name for jet.

Am"ber, a. 1. Consisting of amber; made of amber. "Amber bracelets." Shak.

2. Resembling amber, especially in color; amber- colored. "The amber morn." Tennyson.

Am"ber, v. t. [p. p. & p. a. Ambered .] 1. To scent or flavor with ambergris; as, ambered wine.

2. To preserve in amber; as, an ambered fly.

Am"ber fish (&?;). (Zoöl.) A fish of the southern Atlantic coast (Seriola Carolinensis.)

Am"ber*grease (&?;), n. See Ambergris.

Am"ber*gris (&?;), n. [F. ambre gris, i. e., gray amber; F. gris gray, which is of German origin: cf. OS. grîs, G. greis, gray-haired. See Amber.] A substance of the consistence of wax, found floating in the Indian Ocean and other parts of the tropics, and also as a morbid secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), which is believed to be in all cases its true origin. In color it is white, ash- gray, yellow, or black, and often variegated like marble. The floating masses are sometimes from sixty to two hundred and twenty-five pounds in weight. It is wholly volatilized as a white vapor at 212° Fahrenheit, and is highly valued in perfumery. Dana.

Am"ber room A room formerly in the Czar's Summer Palace in Russia, which was richly decorated with walls and fixtures made from amber. The amber was removed by occupying German troops during the Second World War and has, as of 1997, never been recovered. The room is being recreated from old photographs by Russian artisans. PJC

Am"ber seed` (&?;). Seed of the Hibiscus abelmoschus, somewhat resembling millet, brought from Egypt and the West Indies, and having a flavor like that of musk; musk seed. Chambers.

Am"ber tree` (&?;). A species of Anthospermum, a shrub with evergreen leaves, which, when bruised, emit a fragrant odor.

Ambes"-as (&?;), n. Ambs-ace. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Am"bi*dex"ter (&?;), a. [LL., fr. L. ambo both + dexter right, dextra (sc. manus) the right hand.] Using both hands with equal ease. Smollett.

Am`bi*dex"ter, n. 1. A person who uses both hands with equal facility.

2. Hence: A double-dealer; one equally ready to act on either side in party disputes.

The rest are hypocrites, ambidexters, so many turning pictures -- a lion on one side, a lamb on the other. Burton.

3. (Law) A juror who takes money from both parties for giving his verdict. Cowell.

Am"bi*dex*ter"i*ty (&?;), n. 1. The quality of being ambidextrous; the faculty of using both hands with equal facility. Hence: Versatility; general readiness; as, ambidexterity of argumentation. Sterne.

Ignorant I was of the human frame, and of its latent powers, as regarded speed, force, and ambidexterity. De Quincey.

2. Double-dealing. (Law) A juror's taking of money from the both parties for a verdict.

Am`bi*dex"tral (&?;), a. Pertaining equally to the right-hand side and the left-hand side. Earle.

Am`bi*dex"trous (&?;), a. 1. Having the faculty of using both hands with equal ease. Sir T. Browne.

2. Practicing or siding with both parties.

All false, shuffling, and ambidextrous dealings. L'Estrange.

Am"bi*dex"trous*ly, adv. In an ambidextrous manner; cunningly.

Am`bi*dex"trous*ness (&?;), n. The quality of being ambidextrous; ambidexterity.