nectar
nounverbattested in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈnɛk.tə//
- United States//ˈnɛk.təɹ//
The drink of the gods.
noun
- 1
The drink of the gods.
They pourd in soveraine balme and Nectar good, / Good both for erthly med'cine and for hevenly food.
- 2
Any delicious drink, now especially a type of sweetened fruit juice.
- 3
The sweet liquid secreted by flowers to attract pollinating insects and birds.
Etymology
From Latin nectar, from Ancient Greek νέκταρ (néktar, “nourishment of the gods”), from Proto-Indo-European *neḱ- (“perish, disappear”) + *-tr̥h₂ (“overcoming”), from *terh₂- (“to overcome, pass through, cross over”).
verb
- 1
To feed on nectar.
Nectaring is one of butterflies' favourite activities.
On the lane below, more orangetips nectared on spring beauties and violets.
Forms
- plural
- nectars
- past tense
- nectared
- past participle
- nectared
- present participle
- nectaring
- third person singular
- nectars