Etymograph

English

ebony

Ebony comes from English heben, and goes back to Egyptian U13:n-Z4:M3.

  1. Egyptianc. 3200 BCE–600 CEU13:n-Z4:M3
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἕβενοςhébenos
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhebenus
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEebenius
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ebenif
  6. English1500–presentheben
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1864ebony

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Egyptianc. 3200 BCE–600 CEU13:n-Z4:M3
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἕβενοςhébenos
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhebenus
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEebenius
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ebenif
  6. English1500–presentheben
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1864ebony

Earliest quotation: 1864, George Adams Fisher, The Yankee conscript: or: “He called the ebony mistress of the establishment to…”

The story

From earlier heben, hebeny, from Middle English ebenif, hebenyf (influenced by Late Latin hebeninus), from Ecclesiastical Latin ebenius (‘of ebony’), from Latin hebenus (‘ebon tree’), from Ancient Greek ἔβενος (ébenos), from Egyptian hbnj, U13:n-Z4:M3

Every English word from Egyptian U13:n-Z4:M3

Today it means

noun A hard, dense, deep black wood from various subtropical and tropical trees, especially of the genus Diospyros.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Egyptian U13:n-Z4:M3 / ebony

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