Ivory nut

Ivory nut
Ivory I"vo*ry ([imac]"v[-o]*r[y^]), n.; pl. {Ivories}. [OE. ivori, F. ivoire, fr. L. eboreus made of ivory, fr. ebur, eboris, ivory, cf. Skr. ibha elephant. Cf. {Eburnean}.] [1913 Webster] 1. The hard, white, opaque, fine-grained substance constituting the tusks of the elephant. It is a variety of dentine, characterized by the minuteness and close arrangement of the tubes, as also by their double flexure. It is used in manufacturing articles of ornament or utility. [1913 Webster]

Note: Ivory is the name commercially given not only to the substance constituting the tusks of the elephant, but also to that of the tusks of the hippopotamus and walrus, the hornlike tusk of the narwhal, etc. [1913 Webster]

2. The tusks themselves of the elephant, etc. [1913 Webster]

3. Any carving executed in ivory. --Mollett. [1913 Webster]

4. pl. Teeth; as, to show one's ivories. [Slang] [1913 Webster]

{Ivory black}. See under {Black}, n.

{Ivory gull} (Zo["o]l.), a white Arctic gull ({Larus eburneus}).

{Ivory nut} (Bot.), the nut of a species of palm, the {Phytephas macroarpa}, often as large as a hen's egg. When young the seed contains a fluid, which gradually hardness into a whitish, close-grained, albuminous substance, resembling the finest ivory in texture and color, whence it is called {vegetable ivory}. It is wrought into various articles, as buttons, chessmen, etc. The palm is found in New Grenada. A smaller kind is the fruit of the {Phytephas microarpa}. The nuts are known in commerce as Corosso nuts.

{Ivory palm} (Bot.), the palm tree which produces ivory nuts.

{Ivory shell} (Zo["o]l.), any species of {Eburna}, a genus of marine gastropod shells, having a smooth surface, usually white with red or brown spots.

{Vegetable ivory}, the meat of the ivory nut. See {Ivory nut} (above). [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • ivory nut — n. VEGETABLE IVORY (sense 1) …   English World dictionary

  • ivory nut — noun nutlike seed of a South American palm; the hard white shell takes a high polish and is used for e.g. buttons • Syn: ↑vegetable ivory, ↑apple nut • Hypernyms: ↑seed • Part Holonyms: ↑ivory palm, ↑ivory nut palm, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • ivory-nut palm — noun a stemless palm tree of Brazil and Peru bearing ivory nuts • Syn: ↑ivory palm, ↑ivory plant, ↑Phytelephas macrocarpa • Hypernyms: ↑feather palm • Member Holonyms: ↑phytelephas, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • ivory-nut palm — stambiavaisė kaulapalmė statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Arekinių šeimos pluoštinis augalas (Phytelephas macrocarpa), paplitęs Pietų Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Phytelephas macrocarpa angl. common ivory palm; ivory palm; ivory nut palm;… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • ivory-nut palm — saliamoninis sagas statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Arekinių šeimos pluoštinis augalas (Metroxylon salomonense), paplitęs Naujojoje Gvinėjoje ir Saliamono salose. atitikmenys: lot. Metroxylon salomonense angl. hebe nut palm; ivory nut palm;… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • ivory-nut — iˈvory nut noun The nut of the S American palm Phytelephas or other palm, yielding vegetable ivory a substance like ivory • • • Main Entry: ↑ivory …   Useful english dictionary

  • ivory nut — i′vory nut n. pln the seed of a low South American palm, Phytelephas macrocarpa, yielding vegetable ivory • Etymology: 1915–20 …   From formal English to slang

  • ivory nut — /ˈaɪvəri nʌt/ (say uyvuhree nut) noun 1. the seed of a low growing South American palm, Phytelephas macrocarpa, forming the source of vegetable ivory. 2. a similar seed from other palms …  

  • ivory nut — noun Date: circa 1847 the nutlike seed of a South American palm (Phytelephas macrocarpa) containing a very hard endosperm used for carving and turning compare vegetable ivory …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • ivory nut — 1. the seed of a low, South American palm, Phytelephas macrocarpa, yielding vegetable ivory. 2. a similar seed from other palms. [1915 20] * * * …   Universalium

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