What does ebony mean?
Ebony is a dense, fine-grained hardwood obtained primarily from trees of the genus Diospyros, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and elsewhere. It is distinguished by its deep black heartwood, exceptional hardness, and ability to take a high polish — qualities that have made it prized since antiquity for luxury furniture, sculpture, chess pieces, and components of musical instruments such as piano keys, violin fingerboards, and clarinet bodies. Because it is so heavy and rare, genuine ebony is costly and subject to conservation concerns. By extension, the word also functions as a color term meaning a deep, glossy black: writers describe 'ebony hair' or an 'ebony sky' to evoke richness and depth rather than mere darkness. Derived adjectives such as 'ebon' appear mostly in literary or poetic registers.
A hard, heavy, black or very dark heartwood obtained chiefly from trees of the genus Diospyros, used in fine cabinetry, musical instruments, and decorative carving.
"The chess set was carved entirely from ebony and boxwood."
Also used figuratively of anything jet-black and glossy.
A deep, lustrous black color.
"She wore a gown the color of polished ebony."
Rarely used in the plural except when referring to multiple individual trees of the genus Diospyros or multiple distinct shades of black.
"The botanical garden cultivates several ebonies alongside other tropical hardwoods."
Ebony is so dense it sinks in water — one of the very few woods that do.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ebony
The word ebony entered English in the Middle English period via Latin ebenus, itself borrowed from Greek ebenos, which referred to the same valuable timber. The Greek term likely came through Egyptian hbny, reflecting how ancient Egypt sourced the wood from sub-Saharan Africa. The shortened literary form 'ebon' arose later by aphesis.
Related word forms
How ebony is actually used
When used as an adjective describing people, 'ebony' has been used to describe dark skin; such use should be handled sensitively as it can be considered objectifying. In ordinary modern usage it most commonly refers either to the timber itself or metaphorically to any richly black surface or hair.
Easily confused with ebony
Ebonite is a hard black rubber (vulcanized) used for items like bowling balls and pipe stems, whereas ebony is a natural tropical hardwood.