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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

As we thrifted in Los Feliz, we found a gorgeous, ivory, vintage dress that either gave pilgrim vibes or cool courthouse wedding dress chic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

He lent his celebrity to the campaign against the illegal trade in ivory, warning that poachers kill thousands of elephants a year.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

He’s raced to find ivory shoes for a forgetful groomsman and led a prayer to calm a jittery future husband.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 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

This was a break from the tightly coiffed styling of earlier period productions, from Merchant Ivory films to Ang Lee’s 1995 “Sense and Sensibility,” in which Kate Winslet charmed as a put-together Marianne.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

In Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mali and Nigeria, the figure is more than 90 percent of the active population.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

Sekou Siby was a line cook from the Ivory Coast, who swapped shifts with one of the workers who died during a morning breakfast held in the restaurant on 9/11.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

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

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Ivory lies on the floor with a towel over his head, utterly exhausted from perhaps the most inspired thirty minutes of his life.

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

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

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

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

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