A hard, creamy-white material that comes mainly from the tusks of elephants and some other animals. It has been used to make art, piano keys, and jewelry, but its trade is now heavily restricted to protect wildlife.
From Old French “ivorie,” from Latin “ebur,” meaning “ivory,” which is related to words in other ancient languages for elephant and its tusks. Over time, the word in English shifted in sound to “ivory.” The material has been prized since ancient times for its smoothness and color.
Ivory once symbolized luxury so strongly that people used it to name a color, like “ivory dress” or “ivory tower.” But behind that beauty was massive elephant hunting, which is why modern laws tightly control or ban ivory trade. The word now quietly carries a history of both art and extinction risk.
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