Home › Glossary › Letter A

Ambrosia

Food And Drink
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The food of the gods in classical myth. It signifies divine nourishment, immortality, or exquisite sweetness.

Detailed Definition
In poetry, ambrosia evokes the privileged fare of Olympus and can elevate an ordinary meal into a vision of sacred abundance. Classical and neoclassical poets use it to distinguish gods from mortals, while later writers may employ it ironically for luxury goods or seductive pleasures. Its sweetness often carries an undertone of exclusion: the speaker may taste what promises transcendence but remains bound to hunger, time, and death.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Greek-inspired poetry, ambrosia can signify divine nourishment: “the food of gods” becomes a symbol of immortality; John Milton uses “ambrosial fragrance” in Paradise Lost to make Eden seem heavenly; A poet might write, “Her praise was ambrosia on the tongue,” using the food as a metaphor for sustaining joy; In a love poem, ambrosia can contrast mortal hunger with the beloved’s seemingly divine presence
Additional Notes
In classical poetry, ambrosia marks a boundary between mortal hunger and divine immortality; contrast it with ordinary bread or broth.
Also Known As
Food of the Gods Nectar
Skip to main content