ebony

Definition

A hard, dense, deep black wood from various subtropical and tropical trees, especially of the genus Diospyros.

Etymology

From earlier heben, hebeny, from Middle English ebenif, hebenyf (influenced by Late Latin hebeninus), from Ecclesiastical Latin ebenius (“of ebony”), from Latin hebenus (“ebon tree”), from Ancient Greek ἔβενος (ébenos), from Egyptian hbnj, U13:n-Z4:M3

Example Sentences

• "“You live up the road past the ebony tree, right?” he asked, looking past me."
• "Near-synonyms: onyx, raven"
• "At dawn the hunters were off. There were fifty sleek, black warriors, and in their midst, lithe and active as a young forest god, strode Tarzan of the Apes, his brown skin contrasting oddly with the ebony of his companions. Except for color he was one of them."