Definitions for ivory
ˈaɪ və ri, ˈaɪ vriivo·ry

Princeton's WordNet(2.67 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. ivory, tusknoun

   a hard smooth ivory colored dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walruses

2. bone, ivory, pearl, off-whitenoun

   a shade of white the color of bleached bones

Webster Dictionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Ivorynoun

   the hard, white, opaque, fine-grained substance constituting the tusks of the elephant. It is a variety of dentine, characterized by the minuteness and close arrangement of the tubes, as also by their double flexure. It is used in manufacturing articles of ornament or utility

   Etymology: [OE. ivori, F. ivoire, fr. L. eboreus made of ivory, fr. ebur, eboris, ivory, cf. Skr. ibha elephant. Cf. Eburnean.]

2. Ivorynoun

   the tusks themselves of the elephant, etc

   Etymology: [OE. ivori, F. ivoire, fr. L. eboreus made of ivory, fr. ebur, eboris, ivory, cf. Skr. ibha elephant. Cf. Eburnean.]

3. Ivorynoun

   any carving executed in ivory

   Etymology: [OE. ivori, F. ivoire, fr. L. eboreus made of ivory, fr. ebur, eboris, ivory, cf. Skr. ibha elephant. Cf. Eburnean.]

4. Ivorynoun

   teeth; as, to show one's ivories

   Etymology: [OE. ivori, F. ivoire, fr. L. eboreus made of ivory, fr. ebur, eboris, ivory, cf. Skr. ibha elephant. Cf. Eburnean.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Ivory

   Ivory is a hard, white material, derived from the tusks and teeth of animals, that is used in art or manufacturing. It consists of dentine, a tissue that is similar to bone. It has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, and dominoes. Elephant ivory has been the most important source, but ivory from many species including the hippopotamus, walrus, pig, sperm whale, and narwhal has been used. The word ultimately derives from the Ancient Egyptian âb, âbu "elephant", through the Latin ebor- or ebur. The use and trade of elephant ivory have become controversial because they have contributed to seriously declining elephant populations in many countries. In 1975, the Asian elephant was placed on Appendix One of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which prevents international trade between member countries. The African elephant was placed on Appendix One in January 1990. Since then, some southern African countries have had their populations of elephants "downlisted" to Appendix Two, allowing sale of some stockpiles. Ivory has many ornamental and practical uses. Prior to the introduction of plastics, it was used for billiard balls, piano keys, Scottish bagpipes, buttons and a wide range of ornamental items. Synthetic substitutes for ivory have been developed. Plastics have been viewed by piano purists as an inferior ivory substitute on piano keys, although other recently developed materials more closely resemble the feel of real ivory.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Ivory

   ī′vo-ri, n. the hard, white substance composing the tusks of the elephant and of the sea-horse.—adj. made of, or resembling, ivory.—adj. I′voried, made like ivory: furnished with teeth.—ns. I′vory-black, a black powder, originally made from burnt ivory, but now from bone; I′vory-nut, the nut of a species of palm, containing a substance like ivory; I′vory-palm, the tree which bears the ivory-nut; I′vory-por′celain, a fine ware with an ivory-white glaze.—Show one's ivories, to show the teeth. [O. Fr. ivurie (Fr. ivoire)—L. ebur, eboris, ivory; Coptic ebu; Sans. ibhas, an elephant.]

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. ivory

   The ivory symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the ivory symbol and its characteristic.

2. ivory

   Song lyrics by ivory -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by ivory on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Dentine
   • White

How to pronounce ivory?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say ivory in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of ivory in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of ivory in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of ivory in a Sentence

1. Customs Department:

   We consider this the biggest seizure in Thai history. We believe that this ivory was due to be sold to customers in China, Vietnam and Thailand.

2. Ross McEwing:

   To have a significant impact on the illegal wildlife trade, there is a need to identify and prosecute the leaders of organized crime syndicates, the kingpins, who are unlikely ever to come into contact with the ivory directly, therefore, it is possible that this technique, whilst increasing the number of prosecutions associated with the illegal ivory trade by identifying individuals involved in the handling of the ivory, might have negligible effect on the volume of the illegal trade: national and international couriers are dispensable and readily replaceable.

3. President Uhuru Kenyatta:

   Kenya is making a statement that for us ivory is worthless unless it is on our elephants.

4. Elly Pepper:

   When people realize that there's an ivory trade, they just want to stop it, california is one of the top three ivory markets in the country.

5. Fabrice Laurent:

   Origins is the only stockholder at the moment in Cipexi in Ivory Coast, where we have inherited two factories and some 600 employees of the company.

Images & Illustrations of ivory

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