The English word amber derives from Arabic ?

anbar' , Middle Latin ambar and Midd

le French ambre. The word was adopted in Middle English in the 14th century as r
eferring to what is now known as ambergris (ambre gris or "grey amber"), a solid
waxy substance derived from the sperm whale. In the Romance languages, the sens
e of the word had come to be extended to Baltic amber (fossil resin) from as ear
ly as the late 13th century. At first called white or yellow amber (ambre jaune)
, this meaning was adopted in English by the early 15th century. As the use of a
mbergris waned, this became the main sense of the word.
The two substances ("yellow amber" and "grey amber") conceivably became associat
ed or confused because they both were found washed up on beaches. Ambergris is l
ess dense than water and floats, whereas amber is less dense than stone, but too
dense to float.
The classical name for amber, electrum (??e?t??? elektron), is connected to a te
rm ????t?? (elektor) meaning "beaming Sun". According to the myth, when Phaton so
n of Helios (the Sun) was killed, his mourning sisters became poplars, and their
tears became the origin of elektron, amber.