ebony

noun eb·o·ny \ ˈe-bə-nē \

Definition of ebony

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

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Recent Examples of ebony from the Web

The house's most eye-catching design feature is also its most basic—Mullally and Ingham refreshed the walls with a coat of bright-white paint and refinished the floors with an ebony stain for contrast.

— mayer rus, ELLE Decor, "Megan Mullally's Hollywood Haven," 12 Aug. 2010
The samples — from thin sheets of eucalyptus to a thick hunk of expensive ebony — allow Koch's team to identify unknown types of wood.

— daniel a. gross, USA TODAY, "How Germany's 'wood detectives' are protecting endangered species," 2 Nov. 2017
Instead expect to see luxury wallpaper and textiles, a show-stopping massive chandelier and high-end cabinets, including one with an ivory and ebony floral inlay.

— jill sell, cleveland.com, "The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s can inspire a bit of the Roaring 20s in our own homes," 21 Oct. 2017
Ivory Lodge rooms, done in ebony and ivory, have African artifacts and views of the river from private terraces, while the cream and beige rooms at River Lodge have freestanding tubs as well as indoor and outdoor showers.

— Condé Nast Traveler, "Lion Sands Game Reserve," 20 Oct. 2017
The striking ebony hue feels at once ancient and modern: Here is the enveloping matte darkness of Anish Kapoor’s Vantablack paint and the glittering primordial obsidian of lava rock.

— amanda fortini, New York Times, "The Latest Design Trend: Black and Burned Wood," 19 Sep. 2017
And then there are the exclusive colors, the Chase Sapphire Reserve and ultra-elite ebony of the American Express Centurion Card, often called simply the Black Card.

— susan tompor, Detroit Free Press, "Chicago bank wants to put a Diego Rivera credit card in your wallet," 3 Sep. 2017
Shipped by Steinway to London from New York with a plain cherry-veneered case, it was thereafter veneered in ebony and decorated to Alma-Tadema’s designs.

— barrymore laurence scherer, WSJ, "Ornate Design That Strikes an Elegant Note," 14 July 2017
Among the best offerings is the Escargot appetizer ($14), a marrow bone split lengthwise, roasted with an aromatic parsley sauce, then topped with large ebony snails in a wine-rich glaze.

— beth segal, cleveland.com, "Cru Uncorked: Almost very fine dining in Moreland Hills," 14 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ebony.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.