| 释义 |
ivory
i·vo·ry I0266500 (ī′və-rē, īv′rē) n. pl. i·vo·ries 1. a. A hard, smooth, yellowish-white substance composed primarily of dentin that forms the tusks of the elephant. b. A similar substance forming the tusks or teeth of certain other mammals, such as the walrus. 2. A tusk, especially an elephant's tusk. 3. An article made of ivory. 4. A substance resembling ivory. 5. A pale or grayish yellow to yellowish white. 6. ivories a. Music Piano keys. b. Games Dice. c. Slang The teeth. adj. 1. Composed or constructed of ivory. 2. Of a pale or grayish yellow to yellowish white.
[Middle English ivorie, from Old French ivoire, ivurie, from Latin eboreus, of ivory, from ebur, ebor-, ivory, from Egyptian 3bw, elephant, ivory; see elephant.] ivory (ˈaɪvərɪ; -vrɪ) n, pl -ries1. (Zoology) a. a hard smooth creamy white variety of dentine that makes up a major part of the tusks of elephants, walruses, and similar animalsb. (as modifier): ivory ornaments. 2. (Zoology) a tusk made of ivory3. (Colours) a. a yellowish-white colour; creamb. (as adjective): ivory shoes. 4. a substance resembling elephant tusk5. an ornament, etc, made of ivory6. (Historical Terms) black ivory obsolete Black slaves collectively[C13: from Old French ivurie, from Latin evoreus made of ivory, from ebur ivory; related to Greek elephas ivory, elephant] ˈivory-ˌlike adj
Ivory (ˈaɪvərɪ) n (Biography) James. born 1928, US film director. With the producer Ismael Merchant, his films include Shakespeare Wallah (1964), Heat and Dust (1983), A Room With a View (1986), and The Golden Bowl (2000)i•vo•ry (ˈaɪ və ri, ˈaɪ vri)
n., pl. -ries,
adj. n. 1. the hard white substance, a variety of dentine, composing the main part of the tusks of the elephant, walrus, etc. 2. this substance when taken from a dead animal and used to make articles and objects. 3. an article made of this substance, as a carving or a billiard ball. 4. matter or a material resembling or imitating this substance, esp. vegetable ivory. 5. the tusk of an elephant, walrus, or other animal. 6. Slang. a tooth. 7. ivories, Slang. a. the keys of a piano or similar instrument. b. dice. 8. a creamy or yellowish white. adj. 9. consisting or made of ivory. 10. of the color ivory. [1250–1300; Middle English < Old French ivurie < Latin eboreus (adj.), derivative of ebor-, s. of ebur ivory] i′vo•ry•like`, adj. i·vo·ry (ī′və-rē) The hard, smooth, yellowish-white substance forming the teeth and tusks of certain animals, such as the tusks of elephants and walruses and the teeth of certain whales.Thesaurus| Noun | 1. |  ivory - a hard smooth ivory colored dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walrusestusktusk - a long pointed tooth specialized for fighting or digging; especially in an elephant or walrus or hogdentin, dentine - a calcareous material harder and denser than bone that comprises the bulk of a tooth | | 2. |  ivory - a shade of white the color of bleached bonesoff-white, pearl, bonewhiteness, white - the quality or state of the achromatic color of greatest lightness (bearing the least resemblance to black) |
ivoryadjectiveOf a light color or complexion:alabaster, fair, light, pale.Translationsivory (ˈaivəri) noun, adjective (of) the hard white substance forming the tusks of an elephant, walrus etc. Ivory was formerly used to make piano keys; ivory chessmen. 象牙(製的) 象牙， 象牙制成的 ivory
live in an/(one's) ivory towerTo reside or exist in a place or among a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life. I don't put much weight in the advice of a bunch of economists living in their ivory towers who've never worked a real job in their lives. It seemed easy to solve all the world's problems when I was living in an ivory tower. Now that I'm out of college, I realize things are so much more complex than I'd imagined.See also: ivory, live, toweran/(one's) ivory towerA place or a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life. I don't put much weight in the advice of a bunch of economists living in their ivory towers who've never worked a real job in their lives. It seemed easy to solve all the world's problems when I was living in an ivory tower. Now that I'm out of college, I realize things are so much more complex than I'd imagined.See also: ivory, towertickle the ivory/ivoriesTo play the piano. An allusion to its white keys, which were formerly made of ivory. My father used to love tickling the ivories after dinner. My friends asked if I would tickle the ivory at their wedding reception.See also: ivory, tickleivory domeA thoroughly stupid person; someone with no sense or intelligence. Don't listen to any advice that ivory dome gives you—he's only got a job here because of who his daddy is. There's no way I'll lose to a ivory dome like you.See also: dome, ivoryin an/(one's) ivory towerResiding or existing in a place or among a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life. I don't put much weight in the advice of a bunch of economists living in their ivory towers who've never worked a real job in their lives. It seemed easy to solve all the world's problems when I was living in an ivory tower. Now that I'm out of college, I realize things are so much more complex than I'd imagined.See also: ivory, towerbe in an/(one's) ivory towerTo reside or exist in a place or among a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life. I don't put much weight in the advice of a bunch of economists who are in their ivory towers and have never worked a real job in their lives. It seemed easy to solve all the world's problems when I was in an ivory tower. Now that I'm out of college, I realize things are so much more complex than I'd imagined.See also: ivory, towerdwell in an/(one's) ivory towerTo reside or exist in a place or among a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life. I don't put much weight in the advice of a bunch of economists dwelling in their ivory towers who've never worked a real job in their lives. It seemed easy to solve all the world's problems when I was dwelling in an ivory tower. Now that I'm out of college, I realize things are so much more complex than I'd imagined.See also: dwell, ivory, towerwork in an/(one's) ivory towerTo reside or exist in a place or among a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life. I don't put much weight in the advice of a bunch of economists working in their ivory towers—they've never had a real job in their lives. It seemed easy to solve all the world's problems when I was working in an ivory tower. Now that I'm not a professor anymore, I realize things are so much more complex than I'd imagined.See also: ivory, tower, workivories1. Piano keys. (The white keys of a piano were formerly made of ivory.) My father used to love tickling the ivories after dinner. My friends asked if I would tickle the ivories at their wedding reception.2. slang The teeth. You better go get your ivories checked out by a dentist if they're causing you that much pain.3. Dice. It's my turn, so pass me the ivories.See also: ivory*in an ivory towerFig. in a place, such as a university, where one can be aloof from the realities of living. (Typ—ically: be ~; dwell ~; live ~; work ~.) If you didn't spend so much time in your ivory tower, you'd know what people really think! Many professors are said to live in ivory towers. They don't know what the real world is like.See also: ivory, towertickle the ivoriesto play the piano. I used to be able to tickle the ivories real nice. She sat down to tickle the ivories for a while.See also: ivory, tickleivory towerA place or attitude of retreat, remoteness from everyday affairs, as in What does the professor know about student life, living as he does in an ivory tower? This term is a translation of the French tour d'ivoire, which the critic Saint-Beuve used to describe the attitude of poet Alfred de Vigny in 1837. It is used most often in reference to intellectuals and artists who remain complacently aloof. See also: ivory, towertickle the ivoriesPlay the piano, as in He went on tickling the ivories until three in the morning. This expression alludes to a piano's keys, traditionally made of ivory. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s] See also: ivory, tickletickle the ivories INFORMALIf someone tickles the ivories, they play the piano. Peter Brown tickles the ivories tonight at the Mercury Lounge alongside bassist Chris Breitner.See also: ivory, ticklean ivory tower COMMON If you say that someone is in an ivory tower, you mean that they are protected from the problems of ordinary life and are not aware of how ordinary people live. They're all out of touch — they live up in a little ivory tower, and they don't see what's going on down here. This won't happen until politicians come down from their ivory tower and learn to work in the real world of limited budgets and uncertain futures. Note: This is a translation of a French expression `tour d'ivoire', which was used by the critic Saint-Beuve to describe the way in which the writer Alfred de Vigny isolated himself from the rest of society. See also: ivory, towertickle (or tinkle) the ivories play the piano. informal The ivories are the white keys of the piano, traditionally made of ivory.See also: ivory, ticklean ˌivory ˈtower (disapproving) a way of life in which people avoid the unpleasant realities of life: Just because I’m a writer, it doesn’t mean I live in an ivory tower. I have to earn a living like anyone else. ♢ What do professors and academics sitting in their ivory towers know about the real world?See also: ivory, towerivories (ˈɑɪvriz)1. n. the teeth. (see also China.) I gotta go brush my ivories. 2. n. piano keys. (From when piano keys were made from real elephant ivory.) She can really bang those ivories. 3. n. dice. Hand me those ivories. The baby needs shoes! See also: ivoryivory tower n. an imaginary location where aloof academics are said to reside and work. Why don’t you come out of your ivory tower and see what the world is really like? See also: ivory, towertickle the ivories tv. to play the piano. I used to be able to tickle the ivories real nice. See also: ivory, tickleivory towerA situation or attitude remote from practical affairs. The term originated in the French critic Sainte-Beuve’s description of poet Alfred de Vigny as living in an ivory tower (1837), that is, isolated from life’s harsh realities. Subsequently, the term has been used to describe academics, artists, writers, or indeed anyone complacently aloof from everyday affairs. Cyril Connolly (Enemies of Promise, 1938) used it to disparage Walter Pater: “Pater, calling an art-for-art’s sake muezzin to the faithful from the top-most turret of the ivory tower.” The term is heard less often today but is by no means obsolete. See also: ivory, towerivory
ivory, type of dentin present only in the tusks of the elephantelephant,
largest living land mammal, found in tropical regions of Africa and Asia. Elephants have massive bodies and heads, thick, pillarlike legs, and broad, short padded feet, with toes bearing heavy, hooflike nails. The gray skin is loose, tough, thick, and nearly hairless.
..... Click the link for more information. . Ivory historically has been obtained mainly from Africa, where elephant tusks are larger than they are in Asia, the second major source, and much dead ivory was and continues to be taken from remains of extinct mammoths found in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. African tusks of about 55 lb (25 kg) each are common, although tusks of more than 200 lb (91 kg) have been recorded. In commerce, ivory is classified as live (from recently killed animals) and dead (tusks long stored or on the ground for extended periods and lacking the resilience of live ivory). Ivory may be of a soft or hard variety; the former type is more moist, cracks less easily than the brittle hard ivory, and is easier to work. In the West, soft ivory, obtainable primarily from the eastern half of Africa, was preferred to the hard variety from W Africa. Green, or guinea, ivory denotes certain types of ivory obtained from a wide belt in north central Africa, from the east to the west coasts. At various periods in Africa, native peoples, Arabs, and European colonial powers dominated the trade (now banned) in ivory. Zanzibar, Antwerp, London, and Hong Kong have been major centers of ivory commerce. Natural substitutes (e.g., taguatagua
, fruit of the ivory, or ivory-nut, palms (Phytelephas species), which flourish in tropical America from Paraguay to Panama. The female palms bear large woody, burrlike fruits, each containing several seeds about the size of hen's eggs in P. macrocarpa.
..... Click the link for more information. , or vegetable ivory) for ivory or near equivalents have long been used. The tooth structure of many other animals, such as the hippopotamus, walrus, narwhal, sperm whale, and wild boar, is also often called ivory. Uses of Ivory Ivory is prized for its close-grained texture, adhesive hardness, mellow color, and pleasing smoothness. It may be painted or bleached, and is an excellent material for carving. Large surfaces suitable for veneer are obtained by cutting spiral sheets around the tusk. Commercial uses of ivory include the manufacture of piano and organ keys, billiard balls, handles, and minor objects of decorative value. In modern industry, ivory is used in the manufacture of electrical appliances, including specialized electrical equipment for airplanes and radar. Its use in art dates back to prehistoric times, when representations of animals were incised on tusks. Objects in ivory were created in ancient Egypt, Assyria, Crete, Mycenae, Greece, and Italy, and there are many biblical references to its use at least from the time of Solomon. Large Greek statues, such as the Athena of PhidiasPhidias
or Pheidias
, c.500–c.432 B.C., Greek sculptor, one of the greatest sculptors of ancient Greece. No original in existence can be attributed to him with certainty, although numerous Roman copies in varying degrees of supposed fidelity exist.
..... Click the link for more information. , were made in gold and ivory (chryselephantine), and the Romans made lavish use of ivory in furniture, implements of war, and decorative items. A considerable number of diptychs and panels in ivory, given as gifts primarily by Roman consuls, still exist. Ivory plaques, diptychs, boxes, liturgical objects, book covers, and small statues were made in great numbers from early Christian times until c.1400, but the production of these objects declined thereafter. Ivory carving was practiced both in W Europe and in the Byzantine Empire. In India, ivory carving and turning has been done from ancient times. In China and Japan ivory has been used for inlay and small objects, especially for statues and carvings of small size and great precision and beauty of detail. In the last few centuries in Europe and North America, ivory has been employed to decorate furniture, for small statues, and occasionally as a surface for miniature painting. The Threat to Elephants The diminishing number of elephants, to a large extent the result of wholesale slaughter for tusks, and the resulting increased cost of ivory have encouraged the making of imitations and the use of natural substitutes. One strategy for controlling the slaughter of elephants for their ivory is to permit a regulated trade that would reduce poaching and provide profit to Africans, but not deplete the elephant population. A ban of the ivory trade, with some limited exceptions, by countries that supply and consume ivory has been in effect since 1989. Despite this ban, the ivory trade has continued illegally in a number of producing and consuming countries, with demand especially strong in China (the legal trade there officially ended in 2017 but the much larger illegal trade continues), leading to increasingly devastating effects on elephant populations in the 21st cent. The illegal trade also has contributed to political instability, with rebel groups using it to fund their operations. Ivory the tooth substance, or dentin, that composes the tusks of elephants (African elephant, Indian elephant, and mastodon). Ivory is a valuable manufacturing material. Durable and homogeneous, it is characteristically white with a yellowish cast. Ivory yields well to carving, grinding, and polishing; after plasticization it can be bent, so that it can be formed into sheets up to 0.4 m wide. The best-quality ivory is exported from Africa (tusks reaching a length of 3 m and a weight of 100 kg) and India (tusks reaching a length of 2.5 m long and a weight of 75 kg). Ivory is highly valued on the international market. In the USSR many mastodon tusks have been found in northeastern Siberia in layers of permafrost. Since ancient times ivory has been used to make ornaments, as well as objects for everyday and religious use. Ivory is also used in industry. The teeth of sperm whales and the tusks of narwhals and walruses may be used as ivory. ivory[′īv·rē] (materials) The ivory-white material composing the tusks and teeth of the elephant; specific gravity is 1.87; takes a high polish and is used for ornamental parts and art objects, and formerly for piano keys. Ivorysoap 99.44% pure. [Trademarks: Crowley Trade, 289]See: Purityivory1. a. a hard smooth creamy white variety of dentine that makes up a major part of the tusks of elephants, walruses, and similar animals b. (as modifier): ivory ornaments 2. a tusk made of ivory 3. a. a yellowish-white colour; cream b. (as adjective): ivory shoes 4. black ivory Obsolete Black slaves collectively
Ivory James. born 1928, US film director. With the producer Ismael Merchant, his films include Shakespeare Wallah (1964), Heat and Dust (1983), A Room With a View (1986), and The Golden Bowl (2000) IVORY
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| IVORY➣Integrated Voice Recognition System |
ivory
Related to ivory: ivory towerSynonyms for ivoryadj of a light color or complexionSynonymsSynonyms for ivorynoun a hard smooth ivory colored dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walrusesSynonymsRelated Wordsnoun a shade of white the color of bleached bonesSynonymsRelated Words |