ivory tower

ivory tower
ivory tower as a symbol of artistic or intellectual aloofness, by 1889, from Fr. tour d'ivorie, used in 1837 by critic Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve (1804-1869) with reference to the poet Alfred de Vigny, whom he accused of excessive aloofness.
Et Vigny, plus secret, Comme en sa tour d'ivoire, avant midi rentrait. [Saine-Beuve, "Pensées d'Août, a M. Villemain," 1837]
Used earlier as a type of a wonder or a symbol of "the ideal." The literal image is perhaps from Song of Solomon [vii.4]:
Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus. [KJV]

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ivory Tower — «Ivory Tower» Sencillo de Van Morrison del álbum No Guru, No Method, No Teacher Lado A Ivory Tower Lado B A New Kind of Man Grabación 1985 Género(s) …   Wikipedia Español

  • ivory-tower — ivory tower; ivory tower·ish; ivory tower·ism; ivory tower·ist; ivory tower·ish·ness; ivory tower·ite; …   English syllables

  • ivory tower — ivory towered, ivory towerish, adj. ivory towerism, ivorytowerishness, n. ivory towerist, ivory towerite, n. 1. a place or situation remote from worldly or practical affairs: the university as an ivory tower. 2. an attitude of aloofness from or… …   Universalium

  • ivory tower — ivory towers N COUNT: usu prep N, N n (disapproval) If you describe someone as living in an ivory tower, you mean that they have no knowledge or experience of the practical problems of everyday life. They don t really, in their ivory towers,… …   English dictionary

  • Ivory Tower — est le nom du premier album studio du groupe de rock finlandais Deep Insight, sorti en 2003, un an après leur démo intitulée Julia. Liste des morceaux Zebras On The Wall Superficial Ocean Into Another Ivory Tower Falling Through Time Stockholm… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • ivory tower — n a place or situation where you are separated from the difficulties of ordinary life and so are unable to understand them, used especially to describe a college or university ▪ an academic in an ivory tower …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • ivory tower — People who live in ivory towers are detached from the world around them …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • ivory tower — noun count the situation of someone in a place such as a university that protects them from the practical or unpleasant things that exist in most people s lives …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • ivory tower — ► NOUN ▪ a state of privileged seclusion or separation from the harsh realities of life …   English terms dictionary

  • ivory tower — n. a condition or place, as academia, regarded as isolated or withdrawn from the practical affairs of society …   English World dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”