An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Elfenbein
Elfenbein, neuter, from the equivalent Middle High German hëlfenbein, Old High German hëlfanbein, neuter, ‘ivory,’ but based anew on Elefant. How the word came b the initial h (Anglo-Saxon ylpendbân), which is also ound in Middle High German and Old High German hëlfant (also less frequently ëlfant, equivalent to Anglo-Saxon ylpend) ‘elephant,’ is not known. It is possible that the excrescent h at the beginning is due to the word being connected with helfen (in the Middle Ages special healing qualities were ascribed to ivory). Perhaps the word was obtained not from Romance, but from the East, from Byzantium (Greek ἐλέφαντ-); for the word would probably correspond to Latin (ebur) eboreus had it been introduced into German through a Romance medium. Compare Italian avorio, French ivoire, ‘ivory,’ Dutch voor, English ivory (yet also Spanish marfil, Portuguese marfim). — With regard to the meaning of the second part of the compound (Bein, literally ‘bone’), see Bein.