Ebony (tree)

Ebony is a dense darker than brown hardwood, coming from some species in the genus Diospyros, which has persimmons as well. Not like most trees, ebony is dense enough to slowly fall in water. It is softly textured and has a mirror finish when polished, making it great as an ornamental wood.^[1] The word ebony comes from the Ancient Egyptian hbny, through the Ancient Greek ἔβενος (ébenos), as well as Latin and Middle English.^[2]

1. ↑ "Gaboon Ebony". www.wood-database.com/ Lumber Identification (Hardwoods). The Wood Database. Retrieved 2016-12-11.
2. ↑ Beekes, R. S. P.; van Beek, Lucien (2009). Etymological Dictionary of Greek. Leiden: Brill. p. 368. ISBN 978-90-04-17418-4.