nectar

UK: /ˈnɛktə^r/ US: /ˈnɛktɚ/ ,(nek′tər)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

nec•tar /ˈnɛktɚ/   n. [uncountable]

1. Botany the sweet liquid of a plant that attracts the bees, insects, or birds that pollinate the flower.
2. Mythology (in Greek myth) the life-giving drink of the gods.
3. any delicious drink.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

nec•tar  (nek′tər), n. 

1. Botany the saccharine secretion of a plant, which attracts the insects or birds that pollinate the flower.
2. the juice of a fruit, esp. when not diluted, or a blend of fruit juices:
   pear nectar; tropical nectar.
3. Mythology [Class. Myth.] the life-giving drink of the gods. Cf. ambrosia (def. 1).
4. any delicious drink.

• Greek néktar
• Latin
• 1545–55

nec′tar•like′, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

nectar / ˈnɛktə/ noun

1. a sugary fluid produced in the nectaries of plants and collected by bees and other animals
2. the drink of the gods
   Compare ambrosia1
3. any delicious drink, esp a sweet one

Etymology: 16th Century: via Latin from Greek néktar, perhaps nek- death (related to nekros corpse) + -tar, related to Sanskrit tarati he overcomes; compare Latin nex death and trans across

nectareous / nɛkˈtɛərɪəs/, ˈnectarous adjective