Nectar
An English word for sweet plant secretions or any delicious drink, derived from nectar, the drink of the Greek gods that conferred immortality alongside ambrosia
The Meaning of Nectar
The word "nectar" derives from the Greek nektar, the divine drink of the Olympian gods. While ambrosia was their food, nectar was the beverage that sustained their immortality. In Homer's poems, nectar is served at the feasts of the gods, often poured by Hebe, the goddess of youth, or by Ganymede, the beautiful Trojan prince whom Zeus abducted to serve as cupbearer on Olympus. The word may derive from nek- (death) and -tar (overcoming), literally meaning "that which overcomes death." The gods' blood, called ichor, was said to flow because they consumed nectar rather than mortal food. Nectar entered the vocabulary of botany in the seventeenth century when it was applied to the sweet liquid secreted by flowers to attract pollinators — a substance that, like the divine drink, seems to possess a transformative sweetness. The word is now used across food science, beverages, and any context requiring a description of exceptional sweetness or pleasure. Nectarines take their name from the same root, as do certain commercial juice brands.
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None recorded
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Fun Fact
The nectar produced by flowers to attract pollinating insects was named after the drink of the gods because early botanists were struck by its extraordinary sweetness
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Nectar
💭 conceptDrink of the gods
Nectar was the divine drink of the Olympian gods, served by Hebe and later Ganymede — the liquid complement to ambrosia.
Ambrosia
💭 conceptLanguage and food
An English word meaning exquisitely delicious food or anything supremely enjoyable, derived from ambrosia, the food of the Greek gods that conferred immortality
Flora
💭 conceptLanguage and botany
An English scientific term for the plant life of a region, derived from Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers who was identified with the Greek nymph Chloris
Ambrosia
💭 conceptFood of the gods
Ambrosia was the food of the Olympian gods — anyone who consumed it became immortal, but mortals who ate it without permission were severely punished.
Tantalum
💭 conceptChemistry and mythology
A chemical element named after King Tantalus of Greek mythology because of the element's tantalising inability to absorb acids, just as Tantalus could never reach the water and fruit surrounding him
Aphrodisiac
💭 conceptLanguage and pharmacology
A substance believed to increase sexual desire, named directly after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and sexual attraction
Ichor
💭 conceptDivine Nature
The ethereal fluid that flowed through the veins of the Greek gods in place of mortal blood.
Fauna
💭 conceptLanguage and zoology
An English scientific term for the animal life of a region, derived from Faunus, the Roman god of the wild and forests who was identified with the Greek god Pan
Elysian
💭 conceptLanguage and the afterlife
An English adjective meaning blissful, heavenly, or supremely happy, derived from the Elysian Fields, the paradise in the Greek underworld reserved for heroes and the virtuous
Cereal
💭 conceptLanguage and agriculture
The English word for grain-based food products, derived from Ceres, the Roman name for Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest and grain
Psyche
💭 conceptLanguage and psychology
An English word meaning the human mind or soul, derived from Psyche, the mortal woman whose love for Eros and trials among the gods became an allegory for the soul's journey
Melissa
🌿 nymphbees, honey, nurture
A nymph who discovered honey and fed it to the infant Zeus, giving her name to the honeybee itself.