# Amber - the stone



## prtzllife

I'm compiling a list of the word "amber" (as in the stone) in as many languages as I can for a friend (named Amber, of course) and I put this post in the Other Languages forum as I can of course get the translation in most common languages from Wikipedia. I figured since amber often washes up on shores it could be found anywhere (coastally at least) and thus could have a unique name (other than the borrowed English word) in many languages 
I'm particularly curious about Inuktitut and/or Greenlandic and Egyptian hieroglyph, but all would be much appreciated!
Thanks for any help you can give!!


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## Peterdg

As far as I know, "amber" in English is kind of a stone (semi-gem) formed by a resin from a tree, so I don't think it washes up on shores. The thing that washes up on shores is "ambergris" and comes from the intestinal system of some type of whale and is (was) used in the perfume industry.

Anyway, if you mean the resin stone with "amber", then in Dutch it would be "barnsteen".


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## Frank78

Peterdg said:


> As far as I know, "amber" in English is kind of a stone (semi-gem) formed by a resin from a tree, so I don't think it washes up on shores.



Oh, it does. The Baltic Sea is very famous for its amber.

In German it's "Bernstein" which means "burnable stone".


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## Perseas

Greek:
My dictionary has _ήλεκτρο, _(capitals:_ ΗΛΕΚΤΡΟ_)
 /'ilektro/


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## Gavril

Old English terms for "amber":
_glær_ (from the same root as _glass_)
_sāp_ (related to OE _sāpe_ "soap, salve")
_smielting _(possibly connected to _melt_, _smelt_ etc.)


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## AutumnOwl

_*Swedish:* bärnsten_ - probably from its German name, an older/dialectal name is _rav_, see below
_*Norwegian, Danish: *rav, _probably from an Indoeuropean colourname word_ (e)rehb_ 
_*Finnish:* meripihka - sea resin_


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## bibax

In the Slavic languages mostly: *jantar, янтарь* (yantar), a word of uncertain origin.


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## origumi

In Hebrew ambar is called ענבר `inbar (notice the similar sound to English), apparently borrowed in medieval times from Arabic عَنْبَر (pronounced 3anbar = gray amber).


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## Maroseika

bibax said:


> In the Slavic languages mostly: *jantar, янтарь* (yantar), a word of uncertain origin.



According to one of the versions, it is a cognate of *Lithuanian gintãras *(*Lettish dzĩtars*) . However reverse way is also possible.


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## arielipi

Hebrew: ענבר *i*​nbar


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## ilocas2

Czech: *jantar*

It's 19th century loanword from Russian


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## Anja.Ann

Italian: ambra (from Arabic_ ῾anbar)
_My best friend's name is "Ambra" by the way!


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## ancalimon

Turkish:  Kehribar
Azerbaijan Turkic: Kahraba
Bashkurt: Garaba
Kazakh: Yantar
Kyrgyz: Yantar
Uzbek: Kahraba
Tatar: Garaba
Turkmen: Yantar
Uighur: Kahriva

Not sure about kehribar (probably not Turkic origin in this form. Sounds Persian) But yantar could be from
yan: burn, shine.. (there are many other possibilities but this seems plausible)
might be related with *jAŋgak meaning walnut.

tar ~ çar ~ taş ~~ ...: stone


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## Perseas

ancalimon said:


> Turkish:  Kehribar
> [...]
> 
> Not sure about kehribar (probably not Turkic origin. Sounds Persian) [...]


Yes, except for "ήλεκτρο" (# 4), the other Greek word is "κεχριμπάρι" /cexri'bari/ from Turkish "kehribar" < Persian "kahruba".

Does "yellow" exist in the Turkish or Persian word?


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## bibax

By the way, in Czech the word *jantar* [yantar] is a slang equivalent of the word blbec (= idiot, imbecile, cretin), however somewhat milder.

Vrať se do školy, *ty jantare*! = Go back to school, you dunce/blockhead!


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## ancalimon

Perseas said:


> Yes, except for "ήλεκτρο" (# 4), the other Greek word is "κεχριμπάρι" /cexri'bari/ from Turkish "kehribar" < Persian "kahruba".
> 
> Does "yellow" exist in the Turkish or Persian word?



If you force it hard enough (  ) "sarı" (yellow) sounds similar to "cexri".  I don't know about the Persian etymology.


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## ahmedcowon

ancalimon said:


> Turkish:  Kehribar
> Azerbaijan Turkic: Kahraba
> Bashkurt: Garaba
> Uzbek: Kahraba
> Tatar: Garaba
> Uighur: Kahriva
> 
> Not sure about kehribar (probably not Turkic origin in this form. Sounds Persian)



In Arabic, amber is كهرمان /kahraman/


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## origumi

ahmedcowon said:


> In Arabic, amber is كهرمان /kahraman/


Is عَنْبَر (as mentioned above, for "gray amber") also in use?


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## Cowrie

In Japanese, 琥珀 (ko haku). 
The first character is made of two sub-characters “gem” and “tiger”, and the second “gem” and “white”. This “white” part might mean “transparency” in this case, but I’m not sure. For a friend?


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## ahmedcowon

origumi said:


> Is عَنْبَر (as mentioned above, for "gray amber") also in use?



Yes, عنبر mean "gray amber".


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## mataripis

In Filipino the term amber was introduced by English Books and i never read-encountered Tagalog word for it. since amber is fossilized resin of wood or tree , the nearest word in Tagalog is "SAHING", the fossilized resin in Tagalog is "Batong Sahing" !


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## Stoggler

Welsh is a loan from English: *ambr *(masculine)
Scottish Gaelic word is *òmar* (apparently a loan from Middle French ambre)


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## AutumnOwl

ancalimon said:


> Turkish:  Kehribar
> Azerbaijan Turkic: Kahraba
> Bashkurt: Garaba
> Uzbek: Kahraba
> Tatar: Garaba
> Uighur: Kahriva


Could the -ribar, -raba, -riva have anything to do with this:


AutumnOwl said:


> _*Norwegian, Danish: *rav, _probably from an Indoeuropean colourname word_ (e)rehb_


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## ger4

Finnish: meripihka
Estonian: merevaik
Latvian: dzintars
Lithuanian: gintaras
Polish: bursztyn 
German: Bernstein


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## animelover

Chinese (Mandarin):

琥珀
hǔpò

Old Japanese:
薫陸香
kunrokukou or kunnoko
Small pebbles of amber were used as an inredient for burning incense (sticks).
http://www15.plala.or.jp/gemuseum/gemus-amber.htm

I would be careful about ascribing a certain meaning to 虎 and 白. 虎(こ) and 白(はく) mainly represent the phonetic elements of 琥珀 - 王(gem) is the semantic element.

According to the 漢和大辞典: 白 in 珀 refers to a yellowish-white egg-like color. 虎 in 琥 refers to either the color of a tiger's fur, or a tiger-shaped gem, or an inscription of a tiger; apparently, such a gem/stone was the symbol of a millitary commander (shogun), or sent to people during war as a requisition order.


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## franknagy

Hungarian: borostyán.

But: "borostyán" means not only the stoned resin but creeping ivy, in Hungarian.
Therefore the stoned resin might be called "borostyánkő" = amber+stone.
The  stoned resin used to indentify a yellow-brownish color.
Borostyán_színű_ pulóver= pullover of _color_ of amber.


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## swintok

bibax said:


> In the Slavic languages mostly: *jantar, янтарь* (yantar), a word of uncertain origin.



Not Ukrainian.  It usually uses a German borrowing бурштин (bursht*y*n), though янтар (yant*a*r)also exists.


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## Dymn

Catalan: ambre
Spanish: ámbar


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