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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

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

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

Crouch, she adds, is one of the keys to getting her research “out from the ivory tower to the practitioners.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

They sold gold, ivory and ultimately enslaved Africans, often those captured in local conflicts, in exchange for the manufactured goods brought mainly by the British and Dutch, including textiles, alcohol and guns.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

These decks were luxury goods used to impress those accustomed to luxury, a taste of which we get through objects like a gilded coffer and a handsomely carved ivory box.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 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

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

On a street in Ivory Coast's economic capital, Abidjan, municipal officers were in pursuit of informal vendors who had set up their stalls on the pavements and, in some cases, the roads.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

Fannin collected video of wild mangabeys at the Taï Forest Monkey Project field station in Ivory Coast.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026

PSG had tried to sign Leipzig and Ivory Coast forward Yan Diomande but had a bid of £102.5m rejected - and he went to Real Madrid instead for up to £120m.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Ivory senior took great pride in his son’s accomplishments.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Why are so many of your fabrics tans, ivories or “goat-colored”?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

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

From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2025

Established in 1957 – three years before independence - the museum houses objects from across the country, including Ife bronze and terracotta heads, Benin brass plaques and ivories, and Ibibio masks and costumes.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2024

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

They played music: Elizebeth on the ivories, William on the violin.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield