- vegetable ivory
- noun Date: 1842 1. the hard white opaque endosperm of the ivory nut that takes a high polish and is used as a substitute for ivory 2. ivory nut
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
vegetable ivory
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Vegetable ivory — Vegetable Veg e*ta*ble, a. [F. v[ e]g[ e]table growing, capable of growing, formerly also, as a noun, a vegetable, from L. vegetabilis enlivening, from vegetare to enliven, invigorate, quicken, vegetus enlivened, vigorous, active, vegere to… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Vegetable ivory — also known as corozo, is a name used for the tagua nut in the South American rainforest. When dried out, it can be carved as an ivory replica. Both humanitarians and environmentalists can appreciate it, for its use stimulates the economies in So … Wikipedia
Vegetable ivory — 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… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
vegetable ivory — 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… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
vegetable ivory — n. 1. the fully ripe, ivorylike seed of a South American palm (Phytelephas macrocarpa) used to make buttons, ornaments, etc. 2. the shell of the coquilla nut … English World dictionary
vegetable ivory — ivory (def. 9). [1835 45] * * * … Universalium
vegetable ivory — noun nutlike seed of a South American palm; the hard white shell takes a high polish and is used for e.g. buttons • Syn: ↑ivory nut, ↑apple nut • Hypernyms: ↑seed • Part Holonyms: ↑ivory palm, ↑ivory nut palm, ↑ … Useful english dictionary
vegetable ivory — noun a hard white material obtained from the endosperm of the ivory nut … English new terms dictionary
vegetable ivory — veg′etable i′vory n. pln the hard endosperm of the ivory nut, used to make buttons, ornamentation, etc • Etymology: 1835–45 … From formal English to slang
vegetable ivory — /vɛdʒtəbəl ˈaɪvəri/ (say vejtuhbuhl uyvuhree) noun See ivory (def. 8) …
