ivories

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i·vo·ry

(ī′və-rē, īv′rē)

n. pl. i·vo·ries

a. A hard, smooth, yellowish-white substance composed primarily of dentin that forms the tusks of the elephant.

b. A similar substance forming the tusks or teeth of certain other mammals, such as the walrus.

2. A tusk, especially an elephant's tusk.

3. An article made of ivory.

4. A substance resembling ivory.

5. A pale or grayish yellow to yellowish white.

6. ivories

a. Music Piano keys.

b. Games Dice.

c. Slang The teeth.

adj.

1. Composed or constructed of ivory.

2. Of a pale or grayish yellow to yellowish white.

[Middle English ivorie, from Old French ivoire, ivurie, from Latin eboreus, of ivory, from ebur, ebor-, ivory, from Egyptian 3bw, elephant, ivory; see elephant.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ivories

(ˈaɪvərɪz; -vrɪz)

pl n

1. (Instruments) the keys of a piano

2. another word for teeth

3. another word for dice

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Translations

oggetti d'avorio tastiera [di pianoforte]

References in periodicals archive ?

Its current exhibition places pieces from the Dresden holdings alongside loans from French and German museums of important ivories by baroque sculptors such as Georg Petel and Johann Georg Kern ('An-Sichten: Baroque ivories in a dialogue of the arts'; until 21 January 2018).

Ivory matters

These materials are not quite as fragile as some would have us believe; after all, look at what an elephant does with his "ivories"!

Selecting & caring for six gun stocks

Manila: The Philippine government has invited anti-ivory trade advocates to witness a historic crushing of P450 million (Dh35 million) worth of ivory tusks that were seized in 2005 and 2009, in a campaign to remove the country from a list of major transport hub for "blood ivories," a senior official said.