ebony

CEFRB2

/ˈɛb.ən.i/

noun · adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A very hard dark wood.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Very dark or black in color.

Examples

  • Her eyes were as black as ebony and as deep as the sea.

  • The cat's fur shimmered with a deep ebony hue.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
2

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A deep, dark black colour.

  2. A tree that yields such wood.

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

More examples

In context

  • The organ of this cathedral is made of ebony, except the pipes of course.

  • Near-synonyms: onyx, raven

  • “You live up the road past the ebony tree, right?” he asked, looking past me.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The antique table was made of smooth, dark blank wood from Africa.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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