Heben
/ˈhiːbən/noun
An obsolete English noun meaning ebony, a dense dark wood from certain trees.
Did you know?The word ultimately traces to the ancient Egyptian name for ebony, conventionally transliterated as *hbny*, though the exact borrowing route into Greek and Latin remains debated.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Egypt
Egyptian
hbny
“Ebony or black wood, especially the valuable dark wood imported from southern regions”
Classical Antiquity
Greek
ἔβενος (ébenos)
“Ebony”
Classical Latin
Latin
ebenus
“Ebony; the ebony tree or its wood”
Middle English
English
heben
“A form connected with ebony, appearing in English botanical and literary usage”
16th–17th Century
English
heben
“An obsolete noun for ebony”
Modern English
English
heben
“A rare or obsolete word preserved mainly in historical dictionaries”