ebony

¹eb·o·ny

noun \ˈe-bə-nē\

plural eb·o·nies

Definition of EBONY

1

: a hard heavy blackish wood yielded by various tropical chiefly southeast Asian trees (genus Diospyros of the family Ebenaceae, the ebony family)

2

a : a tree yielding ebony

b : any of several trees yielding wood like ebony

Origin of EBONY

probably from Late Latin hebeninus of ebony, from Greek ebeninos, from ebenos ebony, from Egyptian hbnj

First Known Use: 1597

Other Seed Plant Terms

aubergine, box, bramble, briar, composite, perpetual, pulse, trefoil

²ebony

adjective

Definition of EBONY

1

: made of or resembling ebony

2

: black, dark

Examples of EBONY

1. <the ebony loudspeakers on their chrome stands look very sleek and modern>

First Known Use of EBONY

1597

Related to EBONY

Synonyms

black, pitch-black, pitch-dark, pitchy, raven, sable

Antonyms

white

Related Words

dark, dusky, inky; blackish, brunet (or brunette)

Near Antonyms

bright, brilliant, light, pale, palish

ebony

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Wood of several species of trees of the genus Diospyros (family Ebenaceae), found widely in the tropics. The best is very heavy, almost black, and from heartwood only. Because of its colour, durability, hardness, and ability to take a high polish, ebony is used for cabinetwork and inlaying, piano keys, knife handles, and turned articles. The best Indian and Ceylon ebony is produced by D. ebenum, which grows in abundance west of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka. Jamaica, American, or green ebony comes from Brya ebenus, a leguminous tree or shrub.