Ivory is a hard cream-coloured substance which forms the tusks of elephants. It is valuable and can be used for making carved ornaments.
...the international ban on the sale of ivory.
...intricate ivory carvings.
2. colour
Ivory is a creamy-white colour.
ivory in British English
(ˈaɪvərɪ, -vrɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-ries
1.
a.
a hard smooth creamy white variety of dentine that makes up a major part of the tusks of elephants, walruses, and similar animals
b.
(as modifier)
ivory ornaments
2.
a tusk made of ivory
3.
a.
a yellowish-white colour; cream
b.
(as adjective)
ivory shoes
4.
a substance resembling elephant tusk
5.
an ornament, etc, made of ivory
6. black ivory
Derived forms
ivory-like (ˈivory-ˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
C13: from Old French ivurie, from Latin evoreus made of ivory, from ebur ivory; related to Greek elephas ivory, elephant
Ivory in British English
(ˈaɪvərɪ)
noun
James. born 1928, US film director. With the producer Ismael Merchant, his films include Shakespeare Wallah (1964), Heat and Dust (1983), A Room With a View (1986), and The Golden Bowl (2000)
ivory in American English
(ˈaɪvəri; ˈaɪvri)
nounWord forms: pluralˈivories
1.
the hard, white substance, a form of dentin, that makes up the tusks of elephants,walruses, etc.
2.
a.
dentin in any form
b.
any substance like ivory in appearance, use, etc.
3.
the color of ivory; creamy white
4.
a tusk of an elephant, walrus, etc.
5. [pl.]
things made of ivory
6. [pl.]; Slang
things resembling or suggesting ivory
, ; specif.,
a.
piano keys
b.
teeth
c.
dice
d.
billiard balls
adjective
7.
of, made of, or like ivory
8.
creamy-white
Word origin
ME < OFr yvoire < L eboreus (adj.) < ebur (gen. eboris), ivory < Egypt ȝbw, elephant, ivory
More idioms containing
ivory
someone lives in an ivory tower
Examples of 'ivory' in a sentence
ivory
Better understanding these distinctions could also be useful when it comes to tracking the illegal ivory trade.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
Then came a question on the ivory trade.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
She wore a beautiful ivory dress with butterflies on and one of my bridesmaids carried her.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
China has said that it will set out a timetable for banning the ivory trade by the end of this year.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Unlike many of their colleagues, they were not just working in ivory towers.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Britain's ivory isn't whiter than white either.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Zimbabwe and Namibia are pressing for the global ban on ivory trading to be lifted to allow them to sell stockpiles of tusks to fund conservation.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Those who have examined innovation closely know that it is a myth that it comes from brilliant thinkers, let alone ones who live in ivory towers.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Officials said it shows a commitment to fighting the illegal ivory trade.
The Sun (2013)
Trade in ivory is now banned and stockpiles have been publicly burned.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This goes on all the way into the ivory towers.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Her ivory sheath dress had obviously been painted on.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It could be construed as an attack on the ivory trade.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
These ivory tower dwellers have no idea of the real world.
The Sun (2014)
He put his abilities to better use when he descended from the ivory tower.
Stewart Lamont WHEN SCOTLAND RULED THE WORLD: The Story of the Golden Age of Genius, Creativityand Exploration (2002)
China publicly destroyed more than six tonnes of illegal ivory last month to show its commitment to fighting illegal trafficking.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The poignant note lay in a bed of roses on an ivory white casket that featured two joker playing cards.
The Sun (2016)
We already ban trade in ivory.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He hid in no ivory tower.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
They went to the Indian room and amused themselves with the ivory elephants.
Frances Hodgson Burnett The Secret Garden (1911)
They had Kipling like they had those ivory elephants on the mantelpiece.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Go a touch brighter against white and ivory; more subtle against stronger colours.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Trade in ivory was banned in 1989 and since then elephant populations have begun to recover.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
There is a little Indian room where there is a cabinet full of ivory elephants.
Frances Hodgson Burnett The Secret Garden (1911)
India has already imposed a complete ban on mammoth ivory, fearing just such a threat.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The illegal trade in ivory comes under scrutiny in this disturbing three-part documentary.
The Sun (2014)
Elephant ivory was more costly, and therefore more prestigious.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
Not only is it difficult to distinguish between legal and illegal ivory, but the message becomes muddled.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Look what the ivory ban has done for elephants, which are now being poached in large numbers merely for their tusks.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Police and wildlife rangers seized illegal ivory worth at least £700,000 yesterday in the largest haul in Kenya this year.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Word lists with
ivory
black
In other languages
ivory
British English: ivory /ˈaɪvərɪ; -vrɪ/ NOUN
Ivory is a valuable type of bone, which forms the tusks of an elephant.
...ivory carvings.
American English: ivory
Arabic: عَاجٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: marfim
Chinese: 象牙
Croatian: slonovača
Czech: slonovina
Danish: elfenben
Dutch: ivoor
European Spanish: marfil
Finnish: norsunluu
French: ivoire
German: Elfenbein
Greek: ελεφαντόδοντο
Italian: avorio
Japanese: 象牙
Korean: 상아
Norwegian: elfenben
Polish: kość słoniowa
European Portuguese: marfim
Romanian: fildeș
Russian: слоновая кость
Latin American Spanish: marfil
Swedish: elfenben
Thai: งาช้าง
Turkish: fildişi
Ukrainian: слонова кістка
Vietnamese: ngà
All related terms of 'ivory'
ivory nut
the seed of the ivory palm , which contains an ivory-like substance used to make buttons , etc
black ivory
Black slaves collectively
ivory black
a black pigment obtained by grinding charred scraps of ivory in oil
Ivory Coast
country in WC Africa, on the Gulf of Guinea , west of Ghana : formerly a French territory , it became independent in 1960: 123,855 sq mi (320,783 sq km); pop. 10,813,000; cap . Yamoussoukro
ivory gull
a white gull , Pagophila (or Larus ) eburneus, mostly confined to arctic regions
ivory palm
a low-growing South American palm tree, Phytelephas macrocarpa , that yields the ivory nut
ivory tower
If you describe someone as living in an ivory tower , you mean that they have no knowledge or experience of the practical problems of everyday life.
ivory trade
the (esp illegal ) trade in the ivory of the tusks of elephants , walruses , and similar animals
vegetable ivory
the hard whitish material obtained from the endosperm of the ivory nut : used to make buttons , ornaments , etc
the Ivory Coast
a republic in West Africa, on the Gulf of Guinea : Portuguese trading for ivory and slaves began in the 16th century; made a French protectorate in 1842 and became independent in 1960; major producer of coffee and cocoa . Official language: French. Religion: Muslim majority , Christian minority . Currency: franc . Capital: Yamoussoukro . Pop: 24 294 750 (2017 est). Area: 319 820 sq km (123 483 sq miles)
ivory-billed woodpecker
a large, white-billed, black-and-white woodpecker ( Campephilus principalis ) formerly found in the SE U.S. and Cuba : it is possibly extinct
someone lives in an ivory tower
said to mean that someone's lifestyle or their work prevents them from experiencing the problems experienced by ordinary people, and so they remain generally unaware of these problems