*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Amber

From amber, from Middle English ambre, from Old French ambre, from Latin ambar, from Arabic عَنْبَر (ʕanbar, “ambergris”).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A female given name from English, popular in the 1980s and the 1990s. · A surname of uncertain origin.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From amber, from Middle English ambre, from Old French ambre, from Latin ambar, from Arabic عَنْبَر (ʕanbar, “ambergris”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "ambre"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English ambre"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "ambre"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French ambre"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "ambar"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin ambar"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "عَنْبَر",
        "4": "",
        "5": "ambergris"
      },
      "expansion": "Arabic عَنْبَر (ʕanbar, “ambergris”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "amber",
      "amber#English"
    ],
    [
      "ambre",
      "ambre#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ambre",
      "ambre#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "ambar",
      "ambar#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "عَنْبَر",
      "عنبر#Arabic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A female given name from English, popular in the 1980s and the 1990s.",
        "A surname of uncertain origin."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "00e605d9629a33453fd43ec0c9fddc3ee6e3be69c26f80ea78d08e7ffe2b3a30",
      "rawRecordSha256": "2f45baa6e24c62641d9688fc7d553e2e03b363b7b22ea50b63b3abd3a9e9c48e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 322680
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A male given name from Hindi. · A city in Rajasthan, India, also known as Amer.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Hindi अंबर (ambar).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+, India"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hi",
        "3": "अंबर"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Hindi अंबर (ambar)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "अंबर",
      "अंबर#Hindi"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A male given name from Hindi.",
        "A city in Rajasthan, India, also known as Amer."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "28b9476c7f3538a4d693daca5461089eb303942bd52dc9496a167edfc4655bf6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d3c42bc65dfd139ac35f2d192847bda1935469e5195b613937b2adb8fe0aa0d5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 322681
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "links": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
name

A river in Derbyshire, England, which joins the River Derwent at Ambergate.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From a pre-Celtic word.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "River +"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A river in Derbyshire, England, which joins the River Derwent at Ambergate."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "71e233ccb396e3b26cb89335adf1e49810db3ab614ab3905e537ee92f4db8374",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4d37ce4f9d7f57f0bcb1d6cea1431ed2ee949869705152199eb3d018ca0375f8",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 322682
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Amber →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-QW1iZXI