ivory

[ahy-vuh-ree, ahy-vree]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ivory ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural i·vo·ries.

the hard white substance, a variety of dentin, composing the main part of the tusks of the elephant, walrus, etc.

this substance when taken from a dead animal and used to make carvings, billiard balls, etc.

some substance resembling this.

an article made of this substance, as a carving or a billiard ball.

a tusk, as of an elephant.

dentin of any kind.

Slang. a tooth, or the teeth.

ivories, Slang.

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

Also called vegetable ivory. the hard endosperm of the ivory nut, used for ornamental purposes, for buttons, etc.

a creamy or yellowish white.

a smooth paper finish produced by coating with beeswax before calendering.

adjective

consisting or made of ivory.

of the color ivory.

Origin of ivory

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French ivurie < Latin eboreus (adj.), equivalent to ebor- (stem of ebur) ivory + -eus adj. suffix; see -eous

Related formsi·vo·ry·like, adjective

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

Related Words for ivory

pearly, light, alabaster, argent, neutral, blond, sallow, white, pale, blonde, blanched, chalky, colorless, creamy, faded, fair-haired, milky, pallid, snowy

Examples from the Web for ivory

Contemporary Examples of ivory

Soon his coffers were overflowing with revenue from rubber, palm oil, and ivory.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis
Nina Strochlic
November 23, 2014
These goods were probably exchanged with Gedi inhabitants for animal skins and ivory.
Kenya Has Its Own Machu Picchu—the Lost Town of Gedi
Nina Strochlic
September 18, 2014
“We can only save African elephants if China and Japan ban the ivory trade,” Thornton told me.
A World Without Elephants? Blame China
Michael Tomasky
August 6, 2014
Today, ivory prices are at record highs, having tripled since that 2008 auction, up to around $1,500 a pound.
A World Without Elephants? Blame China
Michael Tomasky
August 6, 2014
Poaching fell off dramatically, and the black market price of ivory dropped.
A World Without Elephants? Blame China
Michael Tomasky
August 6, 2014

Historical Examples of ivory

There is a kind of beauty that seems made to be painted on ivory, and such was hers.
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Her ivory forehead was wrinkled charmingly in a little frown of obstinacy.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
The first evening they talked of the wonder of the ivory stockade.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
There he made the gold and ivory statue of Zeus that you shall see in Zeus's temple.
Buried Cities, Part 2
Jennie Hall
There was Ivory Brown's funeral: how would that have gone on if it hadn't been for her?
The Village Watch-Tower
(AKA Kate Douglas Riggs) Kate Douglas Wiggin

British Dictionary definitions for ivory

ivory

noun plural -ries

a hard smooth creamy white variety of dentine that makes up a major part of the tusks of elephants, walruses, and similar animals
(as modifier)ivory ornaments

a tusk made of ivory

a yellowish-white colour; cream
(as adjective)ivory shoes

a substance resembling elephant tusk

an ornament, etc, made of ivory

black ivory obsolete Black slaves collectively

Word Origin for ivory

C13: from Old French ivurie, from Latin evoreus made of ivory, from ebur ivory; related to Greek elephas ivory, elephant

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)

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

Word Origin and History for ivory

mid-13c. (late 12c. as a surname), Anglo-French ivorie, from Old North French ivurie (12c.), from Latin eboreus "of ivory," from ebur (genitive eboris) "ivory," probably via Phoenician from an African source (cf. Egyptian ab "elephant," Coptic ebu "ivory"). Replaced Old English elpendban, literally "elephant bone." Applied in slang to articles made from it, such as dice (1830) and piano keys (1854). As a color, especially in reference to human skin, it is attested from 1580s. Ivories as slang for "teeth" dates from 1782. Related: Ivoried.

ivory in Science

ivory

[ī′və-rē]

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.