| Ebony | n.; pl. Ebonies [ F. ébène, L. ebenus, fr. Gr. &unr_;; prob. of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. hobnīm, pl. Cf. Ebon. ] A hard, heavy, and durable wood, which admits of a fine polish or gloss. The usual color is black, but it also occurs red or green. [ 1913 Webster ] ☞ The finest black ebony is the heartwood of Diospyros reticulata, of the Mauritius. Other species of the same genus (D. Ebenum, Melanoxylon, etc.), furnish the ebony of the East Indies and Ceylon. The West Indian green ebony is from a leguminous tree (Brya Ebenus), and from the Excæcaria glandulosa. [ 1913 Webster ] |
