ebony

[ eb-uh-nee ]

/ ˈɛb ə ni /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ebony ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural eb·on·ies.

a hard, heavy, durable wood, most highly prized when black, from various tropical trees of the genus Diospyros, as D. ebenum of southern India and Sri Lanka, used for cabinetwork, ornamental objects, etc.

any tree yielding such wood.

any of various similar woods or trees.

a deep, lustrous black.

adjective

Also ebon. made of ebony.

of a deep, lustrous black.

Nearby words

ebonics, ebonist, ebonite, ebonize, ebonji, ebony, ebony spleenwort, ebor., eboracum, ebracteate, ebrd

Origin of ebony

1590–1600; earlier hebeny; see ebon; -y perhaps after ivory

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ebony

“I remember saying, ‘Oh my God, Mom, you have to move,’” Ebony remembers.
Killed by Donald Sterling’s Racism|Michael Daly|May 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Afterward, Ebony went to the apartment where her mother had made such a valiant stand.
Killed by Donald Sterling’s Racism|Michael Daly|May 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That did not preclude Ebony Jones from speaking about her mother.
Killed by Donald Sterling’s Racism|Michael Daly|May 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ebony took a place around the corner, close enough to check in on her mother every day without infringing on her independence.
Killed by Donald Sterling’s Racism|Michael Daly|May 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Ebony had been 12 when her mother was suddenly deprived of her livelihood.
Killed by Donald Sterling’s Racism|Michael Daly|May 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The walls are wainscoted with the brave old English oak, far advanced in its seeming transformation into ebony.
With the World's Great Travellers, Volume 3|Various
In his heaven of fire, glass, and ebony he is the blazing Lucifer.
Egoists|James Huneker
He saw that disdain, that it was shallow and streaked with ebony.
Foes|Mary Johnston
Brass and ebony were a favourite combination at one time, the two layers being glued together with paper between.
Carpentry and Woodwork|Edwin W. Foster
So the baulk of timber was brought—a vast trunk of ebony which a man could scarcely clasp round with his arms.
Patraas|R. H. Busk

British Dictionary definitions for ebony

ebony

/ (ˈɛbənɪ) /

noun plural -onies

any of various tropical and subtropical trees of the genus Diospyros, esp D. ebenum of S India, that have hard dark wood: family EbenaceaeSee also persimmon

the wood of such a tree, much used for cabinetwork

a black colour, sometimes with a dark olive tinge
(as adjective)an ebony skin

Word Origin for ebony

C16 hebeny, from Late Latin ebeninus from Greek ebeninos, from ebenos ebony, of Egyptian origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012