amber

amber — 名詞

1. a hard see-through material, usually golden-brown, that comes from the sticky li

1.名詞B2
釋義

琥珀

由古代樹脂硬化形成的化石材料

a hard see-through material, usually golden-brown, that comes from the sticky liquid of trees that lived millions of years ago; it is often polished and made into beads, rings, and other jewellery.

例句

Marta wore a necklace of amber beads that her grandmother had brought from Lithuania.

瑪塔戴著一條琥珀珠串項鍊，那是奶奶從立陶宛帶回來的。

noun + of amber for materials

Scientists found a tiny mosquito trapped inside a piece of amber from a Polish beach.

科學家在波蘭海邊的一塊琥珀裡發現了一隻小小的蚊子。

trapped inside / piece of amber

同義詞
  • resin

    broader term; resin is the sticky liquid stage, amber is the hardened fossil form

  • copal

    younger, less hardened tree resin; not yet a true fossil

用法筆記

Almost always uncountable when referring to the material itself; use 'a piece of amber' to make it countable. Frequently appears with 'in', 'inside', or 'preserved in' when describing things trapped within it.

常見錯誤

❌She bought two ambers at the market.
✅She bought two pieces of amber at the market.
💡amber as a material is uncountable; count the pieces, not the substance.

2. a warm shade between yellow and orange, similar to the colour of honey or a glas

2.名詞B2
釋義

琥珀色

介於黃色和橘色之間的暖色調

a warm shade between yellow and orange, similar to the colour of honey or a glass of dark beer.

例句

The setting sun turned the wheat fields a deep amber.

夕陽把麥田染成一片深琥珀色。

turn [thing] [colour]

The cat's eyes were the colour of amber, almost glowing in the firelight by the hearth.

那隻貓的眼睛是琥珀色的，在壁爐邊的火光下幾乎像在發亮。

the colour of amber as comparison

同義詞
  • honey

    as a colour word, slightly lighter and softer than amber

  • ochre

    more earthy and matt; used especially of paint or clay

用法筆記

Often paired with intensifiers like 'deep', 'rich', 'warm', or 'pale' to specify the shade. Distinguish from sense 1 (the material): here, amber names the colour itself, not the substance.

3. the orange-yellow signal on a traffic light that comes on between green and red,

3.名詞B2
釋義

黃燈

紅綠燈中介於紅綠之間的橘黃色號誌

the orange-yellow signal on a traffic light that comes on between green and red, telling drivers to slow down because the lights will soon change.

例句

The light turned amber, so Daniel braked gently before the crossing.

燈號變成黃燈，丹尼爾在路口前輕輕踩下煞車。

turn amber

In Britain, drivers must stop at the amber unless their car has already crossed the white line at the junction.

在英國，駕駛人遇到黃燈必須停車，除非車子已經越過路口的白色停止線。

stop at the amber (British use)

同義詞
  • yellow

    the standard American word for the same traffic signal

用法筆記

Mainly British and Australian; American English usually says 'yellow' for the same signal. Often appears in the fixed pattern 'turn / go amber' and in 'jump the amber' (drive through as it changes).

常見錯誤

❌The light turned to amber colour.
✅The light turned amber.
💡after 'turn' for traffic lights, use the colour word directly with no preposition.

amber — 形容詞