Ebony (disambiguation)
Encyclopedia
Plants and their wood
- In botanyBotanyBotany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, the name also applies to a number of species in the genus DiospyrosDiospyrosDiospyros is a genus of about 450–500 species of deciduous and evergreen trees. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. They are commonly known as ebony or persimmon trees...
, particularly those with black or pale-streaked wood:- Ceylon ebony (Diospyros ebenumDiospyros ebenumDiospyros ebenum is a species of tree occurring in southern India and Sri Lanka. It is best known for being one of the trees that yield ebony; the wood of this tree is called Ceylon Ebony or India Ebony, but often simply called "ebony"....
) - African Ebony (Diospyros mespiliformis)
- Black Ebony, Gaboon Ebony (Diospyros dendo)
- Black-and-white Ebony, Pale Moon Ebony (Diospyros malabaricaDiospyros malabaricaThe Gaub Tree, Malabar ebony, Black-and-white Ebony or Pale Moon Ebony is a species of flowering tree in the family Ebenaceae that is native to the Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia....
) - Makassar Ebony (Diospyros celebica)
- Coromandel Ebony (Diospyros melanoxylonDiospyros melanoxylonCoromandel Ebony or East Indian Ebony is a species of flowering tree in the family Ebenaceae that is native to India and Sri Lanka....
) - Mauritius Ebony (Diospyros tessellaria)
- Mun Ebony (Diospyros mun)
- Myrtle Ebony (Diospyros pentameraDiospyros pentameraDiospyros pentamera is a common rainforest tree in the Ebony or Persimmon family growing from near Batemans Bay in New South Wales to the Atherton Tableland in tropical Queensland, Australia...
) - New Guinea Ebony (Diospyros insularis)
- Queensland Ebony (Diospyros humilisDiospyros humilisDiospyros humilis is a small eastern Australian tree found throughout Queensland and extending into Northern New South Wales and the Northern Territory...
) - Red-fruited Ebony (Diospyros mabaceaDiospyros mabaceaDiospyros mabacea, the Red-fruited Ebony is a rare rainforest tree in the Ebony or Persimmon family growing in north eastern New South Wales. Listed as endangered by extinction.- Habitat :...
)
- Ceylon ebony (Diospyros ebenum
- On the island of St Helena it is the vernacular name of Trochetiopsis ebenusTrochetiopsis ebenusSaint Helena ebony is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to the island of Saint Helena in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is not related to the ebony of commerce , but is instead a member of the mallow family, Malvaceae...
(the St Helena ebony), where the dark coloured wood is used for local inlay work. - In the timberTimberTimber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
trade, the name has also been mis-applied to a number of other unrelated black-coloured woods- Jamaican Ebony (Brya ebenusBrya ebenusBrya ebenus is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to the Caribbean islands of Cuba and Jamaica.. Horticulturally it is known as the Jamaica Rain Tree. It is one of the species yielding cocuswood....
) - Texas Ebony (Ebenopsis ebanoEbenopsis ebanoEbenopsis ebano is a species of flowering plant in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to the coastal plain of southern Texas in the United States and eastern Mexico. It is commonly known as Texas Ebony or Ébano ....
)
- Jamaican Ebony (Brya ebenus
Other
- "The ebony woods", euphemism invented by the slave traders to refer to the black slaves
- Ebony magazineEbony (magazine)Ebony, a monthly magazine for the African-American market, was founded by John H. Johnson and has published continuously since the autumn of 1945...
- Ebony camerasEbony camerasThe Ebony camera company was founded by Japanese photographer Hiromi Sakanashi in 1981. The Sakanashi family has been in the photographic business since 1871, when Hiromi Sakanashi's great grandfather founded one of Japan's first photographic equipment stores in the town of Kumamoto,...
- Ebony, A fictional metal used to make armor and weapons in The Elder ScrollsThe Elder ScrollsThe Elder Scrolls is a role-playing video game series developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks.-History:...
series of video games - Ebony, Prince Lumen's battle spider in Spider RidersSpider Ridersis a series of science fiction novels first published in December 2004, published by Newmarket Press written by Tedd Anasti, Patsy Cameron-Anasti and Stephen D. Sullivan . The stories became the basis of the animated television series produced by Cookie Jar Entertainment of Canada and Bee Train of...
- Ebony WhiteEbony WhiteEbony White is a fictional character from the 1940 comics series The Spirit, created by Will Eisner. He first appeared in the The Spirit comic strip of June 2, 1940. He is a black sidekick to Denny Colt, the title character. His age is ambiguous: sometimes he appears to be a young boy, at other...
is the sidekick of comics character The Spirit - "Ebony and IvoryEbony and Ivory"Ebony and Ivory" is a 1982 number-one single by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. It was released on March 29 of that year. The song is featured on McCartney's album Tug of War. The song reached number one on both the UK and the U.S. charts...
", a 1982 single by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. - Part of Stone-cum-EbonyStone-cum-EbonyStone-cum-Ebony is a civil parish south of Ashford in Kent, South East England. It includes the village of Stone in Oxney and hamlet of Ebony.The parish is south east of Tenterden, and stands in a position on the eastern side of the Isle of Oxney....
, a civil parish in Kent - Ebony, a fictional character from The Tribe (1999–2003) played by Meryl CassieMeryl CassieMeryl Danielle Cassie is a New Zealand actress and singer. She is most famous for her role as Ebony in the sci-fi series The Tribe, but has also appeared in other series, such as Revelations - The Initial Journey, Shortland Street and Hercules.She is also a talented singer, and sung the theme song...
- Ebony, TX
Ebony is now also a common given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
in Africa and several parts of northern Europe and America.
- Ebony, slang for attractive African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
women. In gay slang, it refers to attractive African American men.
See also
- African BlackwoodAfrican BlackwoodDalbergia melanoxylon is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to seasonally dry regions of Africa from Senegal east to Eritrea and south to the Transvaal in South Africa....
(Dalbergia melanoxylon) is often mistaken for ebony as it is a dense fine grained black wood—but ebony is matte black as opposed to African Blackwood, which has a reflective translucent quality in its grain. Both timbers are valuable for their decorative and structural qualities, particularly in musical instrumentMusical instrumentA musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s. African Blackwood in clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s and similar woodwind instruments because of its tonal quality and Ebony for pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
keys, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
finger boards, tuning pegTuning pegA tuning peg is used to hold a string in the pegbox of a stringed instrument. It may be made of ebony, rosewood, boxwood or other material. Some tuning pegs are ornamented with shell, metal, or plastic inlays, beads or rings....
s and chinrestChinrestA chinrest is a shaped piece of wood attached to the body of a violin or a viola to aid in the positioning of the player's jaw or chin on the instrument. The chinrest may be made of ebony, rosewood, boxwood, or plastic...
s and in guitar fingerboards because of its resistance to wear.