ébène
/e.bɛn/
The French word for the adjective ebony is ébène.
The word ébène refers to a deep, dark black colour. You can use it in various descriptive phrases, such as noir d'ébène to mean ebony black, meuble d'ébène for ebony furniture or artisanat en ébène to describe ebony craftsmanship.
Meaning: deep, dark black colour (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /e.bɛn/.
Did you know?
- Ancient French artisans used ébène in marquetry, a technique of inlaying pieces of wood, to create high-contrast geometric patterns known as ébénisterie.
- In French literature and poetry, ébène is frequently used as a metaphor for beauty and skin tone to evoke a sense of preciousness and luxury.
- The word ébène was borrowed from the Latin ebenus, which originally came from the Ancient Greek ébenos.
Examples in context
- La table est faite d'ébène, un bois précieux et durable.The table is made of ebony, a precious and durable wood.
- Les sculptures en ébène exposées dans le musée sont d'une grande beauté.The ebony sculptures exhibited in the museum are of great beauty.
- J'ai acheté une guitare avec des touches en bois d'ébène.I bought a guitar with ebony wood fretboards.
- Elle a des cheveux d'un noir ébène.She has ebony black hair.
- Ce meuble est en bois d'ébène.This piece of furniture is made of ebony wood.
- Le piano est d'un noir ébène profond.The piano is a deep ebony black.
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are looking at a piece of furniture in a store.
- LéaRegarde cette table, elle est noir ébène.Look at this table, it is ebony black.
- HugoC'est vrai, la couleur est magnifique.It's true, the color is magnificent.
- LéaTu penses que ça ira dans le salon ?Do you think it will work in the living room?
- HugoOui, le noir ébène s'accorde avec tout.Yes, ebony black matches with everything.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ébène, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ébène, CC BY-SA 4.0.
