Ebony

King James Dictionary

EB'ONY, n. L. ebenus. A species of hard,heavy and durable wood, which admits of a fine polish or gloss said to be brought from Madagascar. The most usual color is black, red or green. The best is a jet black, free from veins and rind, very heavy, astringent and of an acrid pungent taste. On burning coals it yields an agreeable perfume, and when green it readily takes fire from its abundance of fat. It is wrought into toys, and used for mosaic and inlaid work.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Ebony.  Ezekiel 27:15. One of the valuable commodities imported into Tyre by the men of Dedan; a hard, heavy and durable wood, which admits of a fine polish or gloss. The most usual color is black, but it also occurs red or green. The black is the heart of a tree called Diospyros ebenum . It was imported from India or Ceylon by Phoenician traders.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Ebony ( hobnîm ,   Ezekiel 27:15 ) is the black heart-wood of the date-plum, Diospyros ebenum , imported from S. India and Ceylon. It was extensively imported by PhÅ“nicians, Babylonians, and Egyptians for the manufacture of valuable vessels and of idols.

E. W. G. Masterman.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): ( a.) Made of ebony, or resembling ebony; black; as, an ebony countenance.

(2): ( n.) A hard, heavy, and durable wood, which admits of a fine polish or gloss. The usual color is black, but it also occurs red or green.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The wood of a tree of no great size, growing in India and Africa; it is black, hard, heavy, and fine-grained, and receives a beautiful polish. It was anciently highly prized,  Ezekiel 27:15 , and is still much used for musical instruments and fancy articles.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

A dark hard wood, Diospyros Ebenum , growing in Ethiopia, India, and the Mauritius ( Ezekiel 27:15). The dark portion is in the heart of the trunk.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

The well-known hard black wood: it was imported with ivory into Tyre.  Ezekiel 27:15 .

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Ezekiel 27:15

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

eb´o - ni ( הבנים , hobhnı̄m (pl. only), vocalization uncertain; compare Arabic ābnūs ): Mentioned ( Ezekiel 27:15 ) along with ivory as merchandise of Tyre brought by the men of Dedan. This is the heavy, black, heart-wood of various species of Diospyros , natives of Southern India and Ceylon; the best kind is obtained from D. ebenum . The sap-wood, being white and valueless, is cut away, but the trunks are sufficiently large to leave blocks of heart-wood 2 ft. in diameter and 10 or more ft. long. Ebony was used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, as well as the Phoenicians, for various purposes; it was frequently inlaid with ivory. In Europe it has been a favorite for cabinet-making down to recent times.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

Bibliography Information McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Ebony'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/e/ebony.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.

The Nuttall Encyclopedia

A name given to Blackwood by James Hogg, and eventually applied to his magazine.