chryselephantine
/kɹɪsɛlɪˈfæntɪn/
chryselephantine means made of gold and ivory.
chryselephantine is pronounced /kɹɪsɛlɪˈfæntɪn/.
Why “chryselephantine” is a great word
Made of or adorned with gold and ivory, as in the monumental cult statues of the ancient world. From the Ancient Greek χρυσελεφάντινος (khruselephántinos), from χρυσός (khrusós, "gold") + ἐλεφάντινος (elephántinos, "of ivory"). Unlike "gilded," which suggests a superficial sheen, or "ivory," which denotes a singular, pale substance, chryselephantine describes a profound synthesis of materials, where solid gold drapery met luminous ivory flesh. It is the colossal Athena Parthenos, her face and hands carved from tusk, her drapery hammered from gold plate; it is the cold gleam of a divine limb in a sunless temple; it is the awe felt before a form that was less a sculpture than a banked repository of earthly wealth and celestial aspiration—a vain attempt to make immortality tangible through the most perishable of treasures.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek χρυσελεφάντινος (khruselephántinos), from χρυσός (khrusós, “gold”) + ἐλεφάντινος (elephántinos, “of ivory”).
adj
- Made of gold and ivory.
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