The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Ebony \Eb"on*y\, n.; pl. Ebonies. [F. ['e]b[`e]ne, L. ebenus,
   fr. Gr. ?; prob. of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. hobn[imac]m, pl.
   Cf. Ebon.]
   A hard, heavy, and durable wood, which admits of a fine
   polish or gloss. The usual color is black, but it also occurs
   red or green.
   [1913 Webster]

   Note: The finest black ebony is the heartwood of Diospyros
         reticulata, of the Mauritius. Other species of the
         same genus (D. Ebenum, Melanoxylon, etc.), furnish
         the ebony of the East Indies and Ceylon. The West
         Indian green ebony is from a leguminous tree (Brya
         Ebenus), and from the Exc[ae]caria glandulosa.
         [1913 Webster]