ivory

[ ahy-vuh-ree, ahy-vree ]

noun

, plural i·vo·ries.

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. ivories, Slang.
   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.

adjective

1. consisting or made of ivory.
2. of the color ivory.

Ivory

¹

/ ˈaɪvərɪ /

noun

1. IvoryJames1928MUSFILMS AND TV: director 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

²

/ 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. black ivory obsolete.
   black ivory Black slaves collectively

ivory

/ 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.

Derived Forms

• ˈivory-ˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• ivo·ry·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ivory¹

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”; -eous

Word History and Origins

Origin of ivory¹

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

Example Sentences

Nearly two dozen species, including the iconic ivory-billed woodpecker and several kinds of freshwater mussels, were declared extinct this week by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, after years of surveys failed to turn up any of them.

From Vox

These pretty wooden pumpkins, which come in a set that includes ivory and sage shades, look like the real thing.

From The Daily Beast

In 1924, famed Cornell University ornithologist Arthur “Doc” Allen took the world’s first photograph of the ivory bill in Florida — just days before two collectors shot the mating pair.

From Washington Post

I set about cleaning, dipping a rag into a bowl of milk and carefully wiping down the ivory keys.

From Washington Post

Milk, according to ’70s-era design magazines, made ivory, well, ivory-er, and I was hard at work when my father stumbled onto the scene.

From Washington Post

Soon his coffers were overflowing with revenue from rubber, palm oil, and ivory.

From The Daily Beast

These goods were probably exchanged with Gedi inhabitants for animal skins and ivory.

From The Daily Beast

The new regs say: “Personal possession of legally acquired items containing elephant ivory will remain legal.”

From The Daily Beast

“We can only save African elephants if China and Japan ban the ivory trade,” Thornton told me.

From The Daily Beast

Today, ivory prices are at record highs, having tripled since that 2008 auction, up to around $1,500 a pound.

From The Daily Beast

Stradiuarius made a few instruments inlaid with ebony and ivory round the edges.

From Project Gutenberg

Her Nazarites were whiter than snow, purer than milk, more ruddy than the old ivory, fairer than the sapphire.

From Project Gutenberg

Gwynne thought her a creature of infinite possibilities, beside whom Isabel was a statue in ivory.

From Project Gutenberg

Of course, it was not smoke obscuring the moon, she decided; it was a lamp, upheld by an ivory figure—a lamp with a Chinese shade.

From Project Gutenberg

The Chinese possess marvellous skill in carving ivory, tortoiseshell, and wood.

From Project Gutenberg