Elfenbein

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See also: elfenbein

German

Etymology

From Middle High German helfenbein, from Old High German helfantbein (“ivory”), from helfant (“elephant; ivory”) + bein (“bone”), equivalent to modern German Elefant +‎ Bein. The loss of initial h- in early modern German was due to the influence of Latin elephās. Since the 19th century the word has been remotivated, somewhat meaningfully (with regard to the pure white colour of ivory), as Elfe (“elf”) +‎ Bein (“bone”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɛl.fənˌbaɪ̯n/, [ˈʔɛl.fm̩ˌbaɪ̯n], [ˈʔɛl.fən-]
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -aɪ̯n

Noun

Elfenbein n (genitive Elfenbeines, plural Elfenbeine)

  1. ivory (material)

Declension

Template:de-decl-noun-n

Derived terms

Further reading

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