Ivorist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person skilled in carving or sculpting objects from ivory; an artisan who creates decorative or artistic items from the tusks of elephants or similar materials; one who practices the craft of shaping ivory into intricate designs
2. An individual proficient in the art of sculpting ivory into ornamental figures or functional pieces; a craftsman specializing in the creation of objects using elephant tusks; a worker who fashions ivory into artworks or fine carvings
3. A specialist who transforms ivory into detailed carvings or decorative works; an artisan dedicated to producing finely crafted items from ivory; one engaged in the manual work of shaping and engraving ivory materials into artistic forms

Etymology: "Ivorist" is a plain formation: the noun "ivory" with the suffix "-ist," which attaches to a base to name a practitioner or specialist, as in "florist" or "violinist." Ivory itself came into English from Old French "ivoire," which descends from Latin "ebur," meaning elephant tusk or ivory. Combining the two gives a direct label for someone who works that material, much as a "jeweller" works in gems. The suffix does most of the work here. "-ist" marks a person who practises or deals in something, so the word needs no special history of its own. Its meaning follows from the base: someone whose trade is shaping ivory into carvings, ornaments, and engraved objects.

Synonyms: ivory carver, ivory artisan