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• ivory
  ivory

  noun

  the hard white substance, a variety of dentin, composing the main part of the tusks of elephants, walruses, etc.
• Ivory
  Ivory

  noun

  James. born 1928, US film director. With the producer Ismael Merchant, his films include Shakespeare Wallah (1964), Heat and Dust (1983), A Room With a View (1986), and The Golden Bowl (2000)

ivory

American  

[ahy-vuh-ree, ahy-vree] / ˈaɪ və ri, ˈaɪ vri /

noun

• ivories
  plural

1. the hard white substance, a variety of dentin, composing the main part of the tusks of elephants, walruses, 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. Slang. ivories,

   1. the keys of a piano or of a similar keyboard instrument.

   2. 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.

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adjective

1. consisting or made of ivory.

2. of the color ivory.

Ivory ¹ British  

/ ˈaɪvərɪ /

noun

1. James. born 1928, US film director. With the producer Ismael Merchant, his films include Shakespeare Wallah (1964), Heat and Dust (1983), A Room With a View (1986), and The Golden Bowl (2000)

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ivory ² British  

/ ˈaɪvərɪ, -vrɪ /

noun

1. 1. a hard smooth creamy white variety of dentine that makes up a major part of the tusks of elephants, walruses, and similar animals

   2. ( as modifier )

      ivory ornaments

2. a tusk made of ivory

3. 1. a yellowish-white colour; cream

   2. ( as adjective )

      ivory shoes

4. a substance resembling elephant tusk

5. an ornament, etc, made of ivory

6. obsolete Black slaves collectively

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ivory Scientific  

/ ī′və-rē /

1. The hard, smooth, yellowish-white substance forming the teeth and tusks of certain animals, such as the tusks of elephants and walruses and the teeth of certain whales. Ivory is composed of dentin.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ivory-like
  adjective
• ivorylike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ivories
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ivory

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French ivurie, from Latin eboreus, noun use of neuter adjective, equivalent to ebor- (stem of ebur ) “ivory” + -eus adjective suffix; compare Egyptian ab, abu, Coptic eb, ebu “ivory, elephant,” Sanskrit íbhaḥ “elephant”; see -eous

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Explanation

Ivory is a hard, white substance found in the tusks of animals such as elephants. Ivory also refers to a white-ish color, like the ivory keys on a piano. One of the most prized animal products is ivory, which comes from the tusks of elephants and walruses. Ivory — which is extremely hard dentine — is used in many objects, especially expensive, decorative ones such as statues. Unfortunately, the elephant population is endangered due to hunting elephants for their ivory, so this pretty substance comes at a high price. Ivory is also the name of a color that is close to the shade of bleached bones or pearl.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ivory Ivory ivories

We encounter paintings on canvas and on copper; bronzes, terracottas and an impressive ivory; dispassionate portraits, intimate sketches and pitiless caricatures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

In return, the museum is loaning treasures including from the Sutton Hoo hoard as well as the Lewis chess pieces, made from walrus ivory in the 12th Century.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

The head is brown to black and has several ivory to yellowish spots, which helps separate it from its native counterpart, the smoke-tree sharpshooter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

Despite their evolutionary distance, the team discovered that both butterflies and moths repeatedly relied on the same two genes, ivory and optix, to produce nearly identical warning colors.

From Science Daily ● May 4, 2026

The restored treasure rested on the ivory column, the rose-gold symbols nearly faded away.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

In a single day, he scored an 86th-minute winner to beat Ivory Coast inside the cavernous home of the Dallas Cowboys.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

The damage has even spread to Lake Kossou, Ivory Coast's largest, and an important source of water for the region.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

After he graduated, Smith moved into a big red barn on a compound in Upstate New York, which he rented from film director James Ivory.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

Over the last year, Uber has also pulled out of Ivory Coast and Tanzania.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Starvation made Zambia and Tanzania and Ivory Coast and Gabon recognize Biafra, starvation brought Africa into Nixon's American campaign and made parents all over the world tell their children to eat up.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

“Diana” precedes an extraordinary gathering of elaborate furniture, once in Versailles; tapestries; and improbably opulent 18th-century French silver—plus a wealth of medieval ivories.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Rumours that Taylor Swift would turn up and tinkle the ivories were shot down by Grammy producer Ben Winston.

From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026

This is not a concert in which the lead singer will occasionally tinkle the ivories for effect.

From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2025

She started moving her fingers around the ivories just to get a feel for the instrument, and her wife ran in saying, “Press record!”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2023

“How are you all doing?” the nurse said, bounding in and exhibiting her ivories again.

From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel

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