ivory (English)
Where does "ivory" come from?
The English word 'ivory' descends through Middle English 'yvory'[1] and Anglo-Norman 'ivurie'[1], drawing ultimately from the Latin adjective 'eboreus' meaning 'in or of ivory'[1]. This Latin term traces back further through Demotic 'yb' and Egyptian 'ꜣbw', which meant 'elephant, ivory, Elephantine'[1]. The deep ancient roots of this lineage stretch back to the Proto-Afroasiatic reconstructed form '*leb-'[1].
Open questions
- The ultimate ancestral connection to the Proto-Afroasiatic form rests on a reconstructed root. [1] [3] [5]
Full etymology tree
- ivory (English), 'Made of ivory.'
- inherited yvory (Middle English), 'ivory'
- borrowed ivurie (Anglo-Norman)
- derived eboreus (Latin), 'ivory'
- suffix ebur (Latin), 'ivory (material)'
- borrowed yb (Demotic)
- derived ꜣbw (Egyptian), 'elephant'
- inherited *leb- (Proto-Afroasiatic)
- derived ꜣbw (Egyptian), 'elephant'
- borrowed yb (Demotic)
- suffix -eus (Latin), 'Used to form adjectives from nouns, and so to nominally indicate the source of an attribute.'
- suffix ebur (Latin), 'ivory (material)'
- derived eboreus (Latin), 'ivory'
- borrowed ivurie (Anglo-Norman)
- inherited yvory (Middle English), 'ivory'
Ancestors
- yvory (Middle English)
- eboreus (Latin)
- ꜣbw (Egyptian)
Descendants and derived words
- ivory-billed woodpecker (English)
- ivory black (English)
- Ivory Coast (English)
- ivory gull (English)
- ivory nut (English)
- ivory palm (English)
- ivory tower (English)
- ivory tower (English)
- vegetable ivory (English)
Related words
Sources
- ivory (English) - Wiktionary
- yvory (Middle English) - Wiktionary
- ꜣbw (Egyptian) - Wiktionary
- eboreus (Latin) - Wiktionary
- ebur (Latin) - Wiktionary
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris