British spelling: to make something black and smooth like ebony; to treat or stain wood to resemble ebony.
From ebony with the suffix -ise (British spelling of -ize), meaning 'to make' or 'to treat with.' This spelling convention reflects British English standards.
The verb 'ebonise' shows how desirable ebony was—craftspeople developed techniques to make cheaper woods look like expensive ebony, essentially creating an early form of furniture faking that's still done today.
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