Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “ivory” come from?

Ivory comes from Middle English ivorie, from Anglo-Norman ivurie, from Latin eboreus, derived from Latin ebur, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -e-.

ivory (English): The hard white form of dentin which forms the...

Definitions

  1. The hard white form of dentin which forms the...

Ancestry of “ivory”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchivoireivory
2Italianavorioivory
3Latineboreusivory
4Latineburivory; a thing made of ivory; an elephant
5Demoticybivory, Elephantine
6Egyptianꜣbwcessation; elephant; elephant tusk
7Egyptianꜣbto stop, to take a break; to cease or stop; to...
8Proto-Afroasiatic*leb-—

Words derived from “ivory”

  • ivorybill
  • ivorytype
  • ivoried
  • ivoroid
  • ivorylike
  • ivoriness
  • ivoride
  • ivorist
  • vior
Every word from Proto-Afroasiatic *leb- →