ebony

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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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See ebony defined for kids

Recent Examples of ebony from the Web

There’s a stretch of 125th Street in Harlem, from Fifth to Ninth Avenues, lined with vendors who spread tourmaline and ebony wood earrings and colorful wax-print shirts across white cloth–covered tables for barter.

— monica kim, Vogue, "This Is How a Japanese Designer Does Harlem Swagger," 18 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
Ebony cut off one of his graying curls and sealed it in a plastic baggie.

— alden woods, azcentral, "60 days to find a home: Lack of affordable housing forces renters to settle," 2 July 2017
Day's Sir Harcourt, with his ebony-dyed locks and effete manners, shares lineage with the fops of Restoration comedy.

— kerry reid, chicagotribune.com, "Lively wit and tangled love interests in 'London Assurance'," 27 June 2017
Shamu must have chosen my tester’s white-on-ebony interior.

— tom voelk, New York Times, "Video Review: Doing the Math on Toyota’s Prius Prime Hybrid," 22 June 2017
The series retains the film’s ebony-and-ivory-tower premise, a close study of students in a traditionally African-American dorm at the mostly white, Ivy League Winchester University.

— james poniewozik, The Seattle Times, "‘Dear White People,’ the TV version, improves on the strong movie," 4 May 2017
Discovered in 1982 off the Turkish coast, the ship was carrying a wide variety of luxury goods: elephant ivory, ostrich egg shells, ebony, glass, gold, and incense.

— nick romeo, National Geographic, "6 Great Archaeology Discoveries Funded by the U.S. Government," 14 Mar. 2017
The team chose an expensive Macassar ebony, from Indonesia, for the ceiling of the lobby.

— martha ross, The Mercury News, "Ivanka Trump played key role in her father’s failed — and potentially corrupt — Azerbaijan hotel deal, report says," 10 Mar. 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.

Origin and Etymology of ebony

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1597

See Words from the same year

Other Seed Plant Terms

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

ebony

adjective

Definition of ebony

1 :made of or resembling ebony

2 :black, dark

See ebony defined for English-language learners

Examples of ebony in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of ebony from the Web

The white-walled living room features ebony wood floors and a wall fireplace.

— neal j. leitereg, latimes.com, "Jared Leto gets his price and more for Cahuenga Pass pad," 15 July 2017
Today brunettes, redheads, and ebony-haired beauties all lay claim to their place in the sun.

— leslie camhi, Vogue, "Spring’s Bold Statement Hair: Show Your Colors," 4 Feb. 2014
That's owing to the fact that 10 Roam is Odin's first incense fragrance, with smokey base notes rooted in resin, but also coconut milk and ebony wood.

— jonathan evans, Esquire, "10 Roam by Odin Fragrances," 3 May 2013
Brick arches, ebony-paneled walls and murals of drinking monks.

— anya yurchyshyn, Esquire, ""Today You Will Put On Blue Egyptian Stockings"- New Fiction* from Rozalia Jovanovic," 8 Sep. 2008

First Known Use of ebony

1597

ebony Synonyms

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 Defined for English Language Learners

ebony

play

noun

Definition of ebony for English Language Learners

: a hard, heavy wood that comes from tropical trees

ebony

adjective

Definition of ebony for English Language Learners

: made of or resembling ebony
: very dark or black

EBONY Defined for Kids

ebony

play

noun eb·o·ny \ ˈe-bə-nē \

Definition of ebony for Students

plural ebonies

:a hard heavy blackish wood that comes from tropical trees

ebony

adjective

Definition of ebony for Students

1 :made of or like ebony

an ebony table

2 :very dark or black

Learn More about ebony

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ebony Spanish Central: Translation of ebony Nglish: Translation of ebony for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ebony for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ebony

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Recent Examples of ebony from the Web

Origin and Etymology of ebony

Other Seed Plant Terms

ebony

Definition of ebony

Examples of ebony in a Sentence

Recent Examples of ebony from the Web

First Known Use of ebony

ebony Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

EBONY Defined for English Language Learners

ebony

Definition of ebony for English Language Learners

ebony

Definition of ebony for English Language Learners

EBONY Defined for Kids

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ebony

Definition of ebony for Students

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