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Ivory

 - 5 dictionary results

i⋅vo⋅ry

  [ahy-vuh-ree, ahy-vree] noun, plural -ries, adjective
Use Ivory in a Sentence
–noun
1. the hard white substance, a variety of dentin, composing the main part of the tusks of the elephant, walrus, etc.
2. this substance when taken from a dead animal and used to make carvings, billiard balls, etc.
3. some substance resembling this.
4. an article made of this substance, as a carving or a billiard ball.
5. a tusk, as of an elephant.
6. dentin of any kind.
7. Slang. a tooth, or the teeth.
8. ivories, Slang.
a. the keys of a piano or of a similar keyboard instrument.
b. dice.
9. Also called vegetable ivory. the hard endosperm of the ivory nut, used for ornamental purposes, for buttons, etc.
10. a creamy or yellowish white.
11. a smooth paper finish produced by coating with beeswax before calendering.
–adjective
12. consisting or made of ivory.
13. of the color ivory.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME < OF ivurie < L eboreus (adj.), equiv. to ebor- (s. of ebur) ivory + -eus adj. suffix; see -eous

Related forms:
i⋅vo⋅ry⋅like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Ivory
i·vo·ry   (ī'və-rē, īv'rē)   
n.   pl. i·vo·ries

    1. A hard, smooth, yellowish-white substance composed primarily of dentin that forms the tusks of the elephant.

    2. A similar substance forming the tusks or teeth of certain other mammals, such as the walrus.

    3. Music Piano keys.

    4. Games Dice.

    5. Slang The teeth.

  2. A tusk, especially an elephant's tusk.

  3. An article made of ivory.

  4. A substance resembling ivory.

  5. A pale or grayish yellow to yellowish white.

  6. ivories

    1. Music Piano keys.

    2. Games Dice.

    3. Slang The teeth.

adj.  

  1. Composed or constructed of ivory.

  2. Of a pale or grayish yellow to yellowish white.


[Middle English ivorie, from Old French ivoire, ivurie, from Latin eboreus, of ivory, from ebur, ebor-, ivory, from Coptic ebou, elephant, from Egyptian 'bw.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

ivory 
1181, Anglo-Fr. ivorie, from O.N.Fr. ivurie (12c.), from L. eboreus "of ivory," from ebur (gen. eboris) "ivory," probably via Phoenician from an African source (cf. Egyptian ab "elephant," Coptic ebu "ivory"). Replaced O.E. elpendban, lit. "elephant bone." Applied in slang to articles made from it, such as dice (1830) and piano keys (1854). As a color, esp. in ref. to human skin, it is attested from 1590. Ivories as slang for "teeth" dates from 1782. Ivory tower (1911) first used 1837 in Fr. (tour d'ivorie) by critic Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve (1804-1869) with reference to the poet Alfred de Vigny, whom he accused of excessive aloofness.
"Et Vigny, plus secret, Comme en sa tour d'ivoire, avant midi rentrait." [Saine-Beuve, "Pensées d'Août, a M. Villemain," 1837]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ivo·ry
Pronunciation: 'Iv-(&-)rE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ries
: the hard creamy-white modifieddentin that composes the tusks of a tusked mammal and especially the elephant —ivory adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Bible Dictionary

Ivory

(Heb. pl. shenhabbim, the "tusks of elephants") was early used in decorations by the Egyptians, and a great trade in it was carried on by the Assyrians (Ezek. 27:6; Rev. 18:12). It was used by the Phoenicians to ornament the box-wood rowing-benches of their galleys, and Hiram's skilled workmen made Solomon's throne of ivory (1 Kings 10:18). It was brought by the caravans of Dedan (Isa. 21:13), and from the East Indies by the navy of Tarshish (1 Kings 10:22). Many specimens of ancient Egyptian and Assyrian ivory-work have been preserved. The word _habbim_ is derived from the Sanscrit _ibhas_, meaning "elephant," preceded by the Hebrew article (ha); and hence it is argued that Ophir, from which it and the other articles mentioned in 1 Kings 10:22 were brought, was in India.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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