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Nectar is often mentioned in conjunction with ambrosia, the food of the Greek and Roman gods. For centuries, English speakers have used ambrosia to refer to something with an extremely pleasing taste or smell, and nectar to refer to a delicious drink, especially a fruit juice. To the ancient Greeks and Romans, however, the powers of nectar and ambrosia far exceeded those of any earthly fare; consuming nectar and ambrosia gave the gods their immortality. In Greek, the literal meanings of ambrosia and nectar are "immortality" and "overcoming death," respectively. Nektar is believed to be a compound of Greek nek- (probably akin to Latin nec-, meaning "death") and -tar (probably akin to Sanksrit tarati, meaning "he overcomes or crosses over").
Examples of nectar in a Sentence
Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 3 Apr. 2026
Red or orange tubular flowers attract hummingbirds, as do natives like honeysuckle, bee balm and hummingbird sage, which are rich with nectar.
—James Powel, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
In order to complete their annual migration, hummingbirds consume half their body weight in insects and nectar by feeding every 10 to 15 minutes and visiting 1,000 to 2,000 flowers per day.
—Katie Landeck, The Providence Journal, 1 Apr. 2026
Stop by the hummingbird garden, where 14 species of petite, fairylike birds dart from plant to plant, sipping nectar from native blooms.
—Meghan Palmer, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Nectar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nectar. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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nectar
noun
