ebony

American  

[eb-uh-nee] / ˈɛb ə ni /

noun

ebonies plural

1. 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.

2. any tree yielding such wood.

3. any of various similar woods or trees.

4. a deep, lustrous black.

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adjective

1. Also made of ebony.

2. of a deep, lustrous black.

ebony British  

/ ˈɛbənɪ /

noun

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

2. the wood of such a tree, much used for cabinetwork

3. 1. a black colour, sometimes with a dark olive tinge

   2. ( as adjective )

      an ebony skin

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ebonies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ebony

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

Explanation

Ebony is a very dark black color, or a south Asian tropical tree with hard, dark-colored heartwood. Black piano keys and black chess pieces are often made with ebony. Used as a noun or adjective, ebony derives from Greek word ebenos, meaning "ebony" and was first used in the 17th century to describe a very dark black color. Cabinetry made out of ebony was very fashionable during the Victorian era because it was imported and considered exotic, but today, because it is considered a threatened species, its uses are limited to small objects, such as animal carvings or parts of musical instruments.

Example Sentences

In an August 1978 essay for Ebony, he observed that if the rising generation of black youth hoped to “close the gap and catch up” in income and education, their priority should be discipline:

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

Ebony London, 37, found her mom friends through a Houston Facebook group.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

And each year, when the twinkling holiday lights fade to a hazy glow and the gingerbread is nothing more than crumbs, I thank copyright law for giving me my favorite Christmas tradition: Ebony Scrooge.

From Salon • Dec. 24, 2025

Among its proudest acquisitions are the archives of the Johnson Publishing Co., founded in 1942 by African American businessman John H. Johnson and known for Ebony and Jet magazines.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2025

The sharpest of all were the big-time Harlem gamblers in white dinner jackets, elegantly stepping with glittering women who looked as though they posed for the advertisements in Ebony magazine.

From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte