Ebony
/ˈɛbəni/noun
A very hard, dense, dark black wood, or something made from it.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Egyptian and was borrowed into Greek as a term for a prized dark wood, making it one of English’s oldest luxury-material words with a long trade history.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Egyptian
Egyptian
hbny
“ebony wood”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ebenos
“ebony, the dark tropical wood”
Latin
Latin
ebenum
“ebony”
Old French
Old French
ebene
“ebony”
Late Middle English
English
ebony
“ebony wood”