Ivory Coast

/ˈaɪvəɹi ˈkoʊst/

proper noun

A country in West Africa. Official names: Republic of Côte d'Ivoire and Côte d'Ivoire.

OriginPortuguese Costa do Marfim ← French Côte d'Ivoire →
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Meanings

proper nounIvory Coast or the Ivory Coast
  1. A country in West Africa. Official names: Republic of Côte d'Ivoire and Côte d'Ivoire.

    In a continent with a long history of ethnic strife, the Ivory Coast has maintained an open immigration policy.

    1988 April 26, James Brooke, “Ivory Coast: African Success Story Built on Rich Farms and Stable Politics”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 Oct 2009
  2. historicalA region of West Africa on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean, now comprising the coast of Côte d'Ivoire.
  3. historicalA former colony of France in West Africa comprising its trading outposts along the Ivory Coast and its further northern conquests, now the independent state of Côte d'Ivoire.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
côte d'ivoire

Origin

  1. FrenchCôte d'Ivoire
  2. PortugueseCosta do Marfim
  3. EnglishIvory Coast

In reference to the historical region, a calque of Portuguese Costa do Marfim in reference to the area's primary export to Europe during the Age of Exploration. In reference to the modern nation, a calque of French Côte d'Ivoire from the same source.

More words from Portuguese, French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Ivory Coast. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ivory%20Coast

MLA

“Ivory Coast.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ivory%20Coast. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Ivory Coast,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ivory%20Coast.

Source: Ivory Coast on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.