ebony

1 of 2

noun

eb·​o·​ny ˈe-bə-nē 

plural ebonies

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

ebony

2 of 2

adjective

1

: made of or resembling ebony

2

: black, dark

Synonyms

Adjective

• black
• pitch-black
• pitch-dark
• pitchy
• raven
• sable

Examples of ebony in a Sentence

Adjective

the ebony loudspeakers on their chrome stands look very sleek and modern

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

To them, the actress’s Colombian heritage disqualified her from playing the princess from Disney’s 1937 musical fantasy, described as having hair as black as ebony and skin as white as snow. —Katcy Stephan, Variety, 2 Oct. 2024

Diamonds, semiprecious stones and precious woods like ebony are used as accents. —Lily Templeton, WWD, 26 Sep. 2024

Adjective

In response, local firm RAD Interiors cloaked the walls with an ebony grasscloth from Kravet, establishing a muted backdrop for the centerpiece: a reclaimed timber four-post bed from RH swaddled in Hale Mercantile Co. linens. —Alia Akkam, Architectural Digest, 11 Oct. 2024

The five-bedroom main house has four fireplaces and oversize sunny windows; an eat-in modern kitchen; and formal rooms with ebony floors, wainscoting, and coffered ceilings, including a living room with a deep bay window seat. —The Week Staff, theweek, 1 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

ebony

1 of 2 noun

eb·​o·​ny ˈeb-ə-nē 

plural ebonies

1

: a hard heavy blackish wood of various tropical chiefly southeast Asian trees related to the persimmon

2

: a tree that produces ebony

ebony

2 of 2 adjective

1

: made of or resembling ebony

2

: black entry 1 sense 1