Adjacent Words

Ivory definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

I'VORY, n. [L. ebur.] The tusk of an elephant, a hard, solid substance, of a fine white color. This tooth is sometimes six or seven feet in length, hollow from the base to a certain highth, and filled with a compact medullary substance, seeming to contain a great number of glands. The ivory of Ceylon and Achem does not become yellow in wearing, and hence is preferred to that of Guinea.
I'VORY, a. Consisting of ivory; as an ivory comb.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a hard smooth ivory colored dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walruses [syn: ivory, tusk]
2: a shade of white the color of bleached bones [syn: bone, ivory, pearl, off-white]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural -ries) Etymology: Middle English ivorie, from Anglo-French ivoire, ivurie, from Latin eboreus of ivory, from ebor-, ebur ivory, from Egyptian ?b, ?bw elephant, ivory Date: 13th century 1. a. the hard creamy-white modified dentine that composes the tusks of a tusked mammal (as an elephant, walrus, or narwhal) b. a tusk that yields ivory 2. a variable color averaging a pale yellow 3. slang tooth 4. something (as a piano key) made of ivory or of a similar substance • ivory adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -ies) 1 a hard creamy-white substance composing the main part of the tusks of an elephant, hippopotamus, walrus, and narwhal. 2 the colour of this. 3 (usu. in pl.) a an article made of ivory. b sl. anything made of or resembling ivory, esp. a piano key or a tooth. Phrases and idioms: fossil ivory ivory from the tusks of a mammoth. ivory black black pigment from calcined ivory or bone. ivory-nut the seed of a corozo palm, Phytelephas macrocarpa, used as a source of vegetable ivory for carving: also called corozo-nut. ivory tower a state of seclusion or separation from the ordinary world and the harsh realities of life. vegetable ivory a hard white material obtained from the endosperm of the ivory-nut. Derivatives: ivoried adj. Etymology: ME f. OF yvoire ult. f. L ebur eboris

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ivory I"vo*ry, n.; pl. Ivories. [OE. ivori, F. ivoire, fr. L. eboreus made of ivory, fr. ebur, eboris, ivory, cf. Skr. ibha elephant. Cf. Eburnean.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. Ivory is a hard cream-coloured substance which forms the tusks of elephants. It is valuable and can be used for making carved ornaments. ...the international ban on the sale of ivory. 2. Ivory is a creamy-white colour. COLOUR

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(Heb. pl. shenhabbim, the "tusks of elephants") was early used in decorations by the Egyptians, and a great trade in it was carried on by the Assyrians (Ezek. 27:6; Rev. 18:12). It was used by the Phoenicians to ornament the box-wood rowing-benches of their galleys, and Hiram's skilled workmen made Solomon's throne of ivory (1 Kings 10:18). It was brought by the caravans of Dedan (Isa. 21:13), and from the East Indies by the navy of Tarshish (1 Kings 10:22). Many specimens of ancient Egyptian and Assyrian ivory-work have been preserved. The word _habbim_ is derived from the Sanscrit _ibhas_, meaning "elephant," preceded by the Hebrew article (ha); and hence it is argued that Ophir, from which it and the other articles mentioned in 1 Kings 10:22 were brought, was in India.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

i'-vo-ri (1) shen, "tooth" (translated "ivory," 1Ki 10:18; 22:39; 2Ch 9:17; Ps 45:8; So 5:14; 7:4; Eze 27:6,15; Am 3:15; 6:4);

(2) shenhabbim; Septuagint odontes elephdntinoi, "elephants' teeth" (1Ki 10:22; 2Ch 9:21);

(3) elephantinos, "of ivory" (Re 18:12)):

Shen occurs often, meaning "tooth" of man or beast. In the passages cited it is translated in English Versions of the Bible "ivory" (of "crag," 1Sa 14:4,5; "cliff," Job 39:28 twice; "flesh-hook of three teeth," 1Sa 2:13). Shenhabbim is thought to be a contracted form of shen ha-'ibbim, i.e. ha, the article, and 'ibbim, plural of 'ibbah or 'ibba'; compare Egyptian ab, ebu, "elephant," and compare Latin ebur, "ivory" (see Liddell and Scott, under the word elephas). On the other hand, it may be a question whether -bim is not a singular form connected with the Arabic fil, "elephant." If the word for "elephant" is not contained in shenhabbim, it occurs nowhere in the Hebrew Bible.

Ivory was probably obtained, as now, mainly from the African elephant. It was rare and expensive. It is mentioned in connection with the magnificence of Solomon (1Ki 10:18,22), being brought by the ships of Tarshish (2Ch 9:17,21). An "ivory house" of Ahab is mentioned in 1Ki 22:39. It is mentioned among the luxuries of Israel in the denunciations of Amos (3:15; 6:4). It occurs in the figurative language of Ps 45:8; So 5:14; 7:4. It is used for ornamentation of the ships of the Tyrians (Eze 27:6), who obtain it with ebony through the men of Dedan (27:15). It is among the merchandise of Babylon (Re 18:12).

We do not learn of the use of elephants in war until a few centuries before the Christian era. In 1 Macc 8:6, there is a reference to the defeat of Antiochus the Great, "having an hundred and twenty elephants," by Scipio Africanus in 190 BC. 1 Macc 1:17 speaks of the invasion of Egypt by Antiochus Epiphanes with an army in which there were elephants. 1 Macc 6:28-47 has a detailed account of a battle between Antiochus Eupator and Judas Maccabeus at Bethsura (Beth-zur). There were 32 elephants. Upon the "beasts" theria) there were "strong towers of wood"; "There were also upon every one two and thirty strong men, that fought upon them, beside the Indian that ruled him."

In Job 40:15, the King James Version margin has for "behemoth," "the elephant, as some think."

Alfred Ely Day

Moby Thesaurus

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