ivory
Meaning
-
- The hard white form of dentin which forms the tusks of elephants, walruses and other animals.
- A creamy white color, the color of ivory.
- Something made from or resembling ivory.
- The teeth.
- The keys of a piano.
- (slang) A white person.
- (informal) A die (object bearing numbers, thrown in games of chance).
Synonyms
Frequency
Hyphenated as
i‧vo‧ry
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈaɪv(ə)ɹi/
Etymology
From Middle English yvory, ivorie, from Anglo-Norman ivurie, from Latin eboreus (“in or of ivory”) adjective of ebur (“ivory”) (genitive eboris), from Demotic yb (“ivory, Elephantine”) (compare Coptic ⲓⲏⲃ (iēb, “Elephantine”)), from Egyptian ꜣbw (“elephant, ivory, Elephantine”). Displaced native Old English elpendbān (literally “elephant bone”).
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Notes