noun, plural i·vo·ries.
- the keys of a piano or of a similar keyboard instrument.
- ivory black,
- ivory coast,
- ivory exostosis,
- ivory gull,
- ivory nut
Origin of ivory
Examples from the Web for ivory
Soon his coffers were overflowing with revenue from rubber, palm oil, and ivory.‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These goods were probably exchanged with Gedi inhabitants for animal skins and ivory.Kenya Has Its Own Machu Picchu—the Lost Town of Gedi|Nina Strochlic|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We can only save African elephants if China and Japan ban the ivory trade,” Thornton told me.
Today, ivory prices are at record highs, having tripled since that 2008 auction, up to around $1,500 a pound.
Ivory purchases are officially discouraged by the Chinese government.
He had created a new property, as was testified by the vast pyramid of ivory that stood under the shadow of the great nwana-tree!The Bush Boys|Captain Mayne Reid
Timbuctoo now scarcely forwards anything but gold to the coast of Tripoli, together with wax and ivory, but no slaves.
It was by far the most valuable prize of the day, and its ivory would fetch a considerable sum in the market.Hair-Breadth Escapes|H.C. Adams
In the King's hand was a sword; on his saddle the ivory image of the Holy Virgin.The Story of Seville|Walter M. Gallichan
He began with an ivory toddy-stick to convert sugar and Bourbon into sirup.The Seven Darlings|Gouverneur Morris
noun plural -ries
- a hard smooth creamy white variety of dentine that makes up a major part of the tusks of elephants, walruses, and similar animals
- (as modifier)ivory ornaments
- a yellowish-white colour; cream
- (as adjective)ivory shoes
Word Origin for ivory
mid-13c. (late 12c. as a surname), Anglo-French ivorie, from Old North French ivurie (12c.), from Latin eboreus "of ivory," from ebur (genitive eboris) "ivory," probably via Phoenician from an African source (cf. Egyptian ab "elephant," Coptic ebu "ivory"). Replaced Old English elpendban, literally "elephant bone." Applied in slang to articles made from it, such as dice (1830) and piano keys (1854). As a color, especially in reference to human skin, it is attested from 1580s. Ivories as slang for "teeth" dates from 1782. Related: Ivoried.