Relating to or resembling ivory; characteristic of ivory or made from ivory material.
From Latin ebur (ivory) + -ian (adjectival suffix meaning 'relating to'). The -ian suffix derives from Latin and appears in English words like 'Christian' and 'Victorian'. Medieval scribes used this form in Latin texts.
The -ian suffix was the academic way to make adjectives—'Eburnian' sounds more scholarly than 'ivory-like,' which is why scholars preferred it when describing precious materials in medieval manuscripts!
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