Ebony is dark wood, much heavy and resistant. It is a tree from which wood is extracted, whose scientific name is Diospyros Tessellaria, from the Ebenaceae family. Ebenaceae are trees found in tropical regions, mainly in Africa and America. It is still found in some regions of Asia.
Ebony is a very hard wood that, when polished, shines. It is considered noble and valuable. It is used in the manufacture of decorative objects, in the manufacture of musical instruments such as the flute, clarinet, oboe, guitar, among others.
In the figurative sense the word ebony is used for emphasize what has the black color and glossy. Ex: "the horse is black as ebony".
Ebony also designates an individual with dark skin tone. It is often employed by affectionate way, a demonstration of appreciation and affection for someone. For example, "he is my ebony!".
ebony and ivory
Ebony and ivory is an expression used as a metaphor to describe white and black people, because ebony is black in color and ivory is white in color.
Furthermore, Ebony and Ivory (Ebony and Ivory) is a song released in 1982, performed by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, which talks about the importance of harmonious coexistence between people of different races.