Etymology

chryselephantine

Today it means: Made of gold and ivory. Full definition →

Ancient Greek χρυσελεφάντινος (khruselephántinos) ← Egyptian ꜣbwbor.? ← Proto-Afroasiatic *leb-
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The story

  1. Phoenician𐤇𐤓𐤑 (ḥrṣ)bor.?
  2. Proto-Hellenic*kʰrusós
  3. Ancient Greekχρυσός (khrusós)
  4. Proto-Afroasiatic*leb-
  5. Egyptianꜣbwbor.?
  6. Ancient Greekἐλέφας (eléphas)
  7. Ancient Greekἐλεφάντινος (elephántinos)
  8. Ancient Greekχρυσελεφάντινος (khruselephántinos)
  9. English todaychryselephantine

From Ancient Greek χρυσελεφάντινος (khruselephántinos), from χρυσός (khrusós, “gold”) + ἐλεφάντινος (elephántinos, “of ivory”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.