Link Centre Dictionary

ivory

UK/ˈaɪv(ə)ɹi/ US/ˈaɪvri/ fairly common informal slang

noun

1.

a hard smooth ivory colored dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walruses

Synonyms
2.

Origin

From Middle English yvory, ivorie, from Anglo-Norman ivurie, from Latin eboreus (“in or of ivory”) adjective of ebur (“ivory”) (genitive eboris), from Demotic Egyptian yb (“ivory, Elephantine”) (compare Coptic ⲓⲏⲃ (iēb, “Elephantine”)), from Egyptian ꜣbw (“elephant, ivory, Elephantine”), from Proto-Afroasiatic *leb-. Displaced native Old English elpendbān (literally “elephant bone”).

Phrases

  • black ivory
  • gate of ivory
  • ivory black
  • ivory bush coral
  • Ivory Coast
  • ivory gull
  • ivory nut
  • ivory palm
  • ivory porcelain
  • ivory shell
  • ivory tickler
  • ivory tree

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.