Ambrosial

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /amˈbɹəʊzɪəl/

Definitions

1. extremely fragrant and delicious, resembling the divine food of the gods or possessing an exquisitely pleasant taste and aroma
2. having a divinely sweet smell or flavor that is supremely gratifying to the senses, especially like the mythological sustenance of immortals
3. Having an exceptionally delightful taste or aroma that suggests a divine or celestial origin

Etymology: Ambrosia, the food of the Greek gods, gave English a word that describes things fit for that table. The Greek "ambrosios" meant "immortal" or "divine," built from "a-" (not) and "brotos" (mortal), so anything ambrosial was, by its root, not of this mortal world. The Greeks used the word for the gods' oil and the gods' food, and the English adjective keeps that sense of the otherworldly alongside the everyday pleasure of a fine smell or flavour. The adjective "ambrosial" is formed in English from "ambrosia" plus the suffix "-al," meaning "relating to." It draws partly on the noun and partly on the Latin "ambrosius," which carries the same divine sense. Because the word came to English through learned Latin rather than everyday speech, it has always sounded elevated, which suits its meaning of an aroma or taste so pleasing it seems to belong to heaven.

Synonyms: delicious, delectable, tasty, scrumptious, nectarous

Antonyms: disgusting, unpalatable, repulsive, awful, bad