A.Word.A.Day --ivory tower

A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact

Home

Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

ivory tower

PRONUNCIATION:

(EYE-vuh-ree TOU-uhr)

MEANING:

noun: A place or state of privileged seclusion, disconnected from practical matters and harsh realities of life.

ETYMOLOGY:

Translation of French tour d'ivoire, from tour (tower) + de (of) + ivoire (ivory). The term was first used in the figurative sense in 1837 by literary critic Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve (1804-1869).

NOTES:

The term is often applied to academia for its supposed preoccupation with lofty intellectual pursuits. While the term in its figurative sense is first attributed to the French critic Sainte-Beuve, it is found in the Song of Solomon 7:4 in a literal sense: "Your neck is like an ivory tower."

USAGE:

"In a democratic system, the true leaders have to remain constantly in touch with, and reach out to, the people and not remain like a king in an ivory tower."
C.L. Manoj; The Agony of the Hereditary Turks; The Economic Times (New Delhi, India); Aug 9, 2010.

See more usage examples of ivory tower in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Earth is here so kind, that just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest. -Douglas William Jerrold, playwright and humorist (1803-1857)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise