Word of the Day : June 1, 2019

nectar \NEK-ter\ noun

Definition

1 a : the drink of the Greek and Roman gods

b : something delicious to drink

c : a beverage of fruit juice and pulp

2 : a sweet liquid that is secreted by the nectaries of a plant and is the chief raw material of honey

Did You Know?

Nectar is often mentioned in conjunction with ambrosia, the food of the Greek and Roman gods. For centuries, English speakers have used ambrosia to refer to something with an extremely pleasing taste or smell, and nectar to refer to a delicious drink, especially a fruit juice. To the ancient Greeks and Romans, however, the powers of nectar and ambrosia far exceeded those of any earthly fare; consuming nectar and ambrosia gave the gods their immortality. In Greek, the literal meanings of ambrosia and nectar are "immortality" and "overcoming death," respectively. Nektar is believed to be a compound of Greek nek- (probably akin to Latin nec-, meaning "death") and -tar (probably akin to Sanksrit tarati, meaning "he overcomes or crosses over").

Aired June 1, 2019

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