amber

B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun British English

n. the yellow light in a set of traffic lights that tells drivers to prepare to stop.

n. the intermediate yellow-orange signal in a three-colour traffic light system, indicating that a driver should stop unless it is unsafe to do so.

“The light turned to amber just as I reached the intersection.”

“In many jurisdictions, accelerating when the signal turns amber is a traffic violation if the driver had sufficient time to stop safely.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate

adj. having a warm, brownish-yellow colour.

adj. denoting a specific range of brownish-yellow or orange-yellow colours resembling fossilised resin.

“The cat had beautiful amber eyes that glowed in the dark.”

“The late afternoon sun cast an amber glow across the valley, highlighting the autumnal colours of the forest.”

C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Science Technical

n. a specific signal in a genetic code that tells a cell to stop building a protein.

n. the UAG stop codon; a nucleotide triplet that signals the termination of protein translation.

“The scientist identified an amber mutation in the DNA sequence.”

“An amber mutation results in a premature stop codon, which typically leads to the production of a truncated and non-functional protein.”

C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Archaic

n. a waxy substance from whales used to make expensive perfumes.

n. a waxy, flammable substance produced in the digestive system of sperm whales, historically used in perfumery.

“Old books sometimes mention amber being used to scent expensive oils.”

“In historical texts, the term amber was frequently used to refer to ambergris rather than the fossilised tree resin we recognise today.”