Etymology Dictionary

AMBROSIA,  food of the gods.  (Gk.)   In Milton, P. L. v. 57; he frequently uses the adj. ambrosial.—Gk. ἀμβροσία, the food of the gods; fem. of adj. ἀμβρόσιος.—Gk. ἀμβρόσιος, a lengthened form (with suffix -yα) of ἄμβροτος, immortal.—Gk. ἀν-, negative prefix, cognate with E. un- (which becomes ἀμ- before following β); and βροτός, a mortal:  but Curtius (i. 413) rather divides the word as ἄ-μβροτος, where ἀ- is the same negative prefix with loss of ν, and μβροτός is the full form of the word which was afterwards spelt βροτός; the word μβροτός being a corruption of the oldest form μορτός, signifying mortal.—✔MAR, to die; see Curtius i. 413; Fick, i. 172.   ¶ The Gk. ἄμβροτος has its exact counterpart in Skt. amrita, immortal, used also to denote the beverage of the gods.   Southey spells this word amreeta; see his Curse of Kehama, canto xxiv, and note 93 on 'the amreeta, or drink of immortality.'   Der. ambrosi-al, ambrosi-an.