The REAL definition of ambrette (okay, not really)

[Jeff Hutchinson]

[snip]
>ambrette, n. An old variety of pear, Pyrus communis, amber pear, 
>with a faint odor of ambergris.
>-- OED?  2 points for the "real" definition
>++.. 1 - Judith
>++.. 1 - David
>.... Kir: "Bit of confusion between variety & species, maybe?"
>.... Jean-Joseph: "I didn't think ambergris has any particular aroma
itself, 
>but rather that it is a fixative for oils derived from flowers and
such."
>.... Elizabeth: "I have a vague memory of ambergris as a non-food
>item, or maybe it comes from whales.  Either way, I
>wouldn't expect it to be in a pear."
[snip]

Ambergris is indeed a fixative for oils in perfume. This makes it a
non-food item (but wait). And it does indeed come from whales.

But if anybody remembers anything about the history of whaling, they'll
know that the whole bloody mess stank to high heaven (and I'm not talking
about the moral issue of attempted genocide of a possibly intelligent
family of creatures).

>From the Encyclopaedia Britannica:

     ambergris, solid substance formed in the intestine of the sperm
     whale (Physeter catodon). It is used chiefly as a spice in the East
     [non-food item???], and in the West it is used to fix the scent of
fine
     perfumes. Ambergris is thought to form as a collection of feces
     around the indigestible parts of squid and other prey of the sperm
     whale. It is not definitely known whether the process is normal or
     pathological. Ambergris, when fresh, is soft and black and has a
     disagreeable odour [according to some reports, it reeks like the
     pits of hell]. When exposed to sun, air, and sea water, it hardens,
     fades, and develops a pleasant scent [hopefully, this is what gets
     used in perfumes]. It has been washed ashore in many countries,
     especially the Bahamas, and has also been found in the bodies of
     captured whales or floating free on the sea. Pieces are usually
small,
     but one find weighed about 418 kilograms (922 pounds).

BB,
Hutch

P.S. Elizabeth, just for you, the next time I'm word picker I will find a
definition that actually DOES have "esp." in it ... and require everyone
to use the abbreviation in their fake. *L*
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