Leather definitions and example sentences on Wordnik

View all »
Definitions (76)

American Heritage Dictionary (7)

noun The dressed or tanned hide of an animal, usually with the hair removed.
noun Any of various articles or parts made of dressed or tanned hide, such as a boot or strap.
noun The flap of a dog's ear.

4 more from this dictionary »

Century Dictionary (64)

The tanned, tawed, or otherwise dressed skin of an animal; dressed hides or skins collectively. The peculiar character of leather is due to the chemical combination of tannin in the process of tanning, or of tannin and vegetable extractive matter (or else of some mineral or earthy base), with gelatin as contained in animal skin; its physical characteristics, such as flexibility, tensile strength, color, and durability, are more or less modified by the processes subsequent to the chemical, and included in the various operations of currying and dressing. In commercial and popular usance leather does not include skins dressed with the hair or fur on; such skins are usually distinguished by compounding the word skin with the name of the animal from which they are taken: as, sealskin, bearskin, otterskin, etc. In the untanned state skins valued for their fur, hair, or wool, and destined to be tawed and dressed for furriers' and analogous uses, are called pelts or peltry. In England the term pelts is applied to all untanned skins. The term skin has also certain applications relating to leather which seem to follow no rule, but are sanctioned by general usage; thus, leathers made from the skins of kids, dogs, sheep, pigs, and calves, and in general from the skins of all small domestic and of many wild animals, are distinguished by the names of the animals: as, dogskin, sheepskin, pigskin, calfskin, buckskin, or deerskin. Buff-leather is an exception to this usage. (See buff, 2.) In general, leather made from skins of adult bovine domestic animals is called cowhide, and that made from skins of horses is called horsehide. The tanned skins of large animals, either wild or domestic, are distinguished by the word hide with the name of the animal from which the skin was taken prefixed, except when the skin has the fur or hair left upon it: as, rhinoceros-hide, hippopatamus-hide, buffalo-hide (tanned with hair removed); leopard-skin, buffalo-skin (tanned or tawed with hair or fur on). Leather made from the skins of alligators and aquatic animals is, however, generally called skin with the name of the animal prefixed: as, alligator-skin, shark-skin, etc. (See also shagreen.) The outer side of the skin both before and after tanning is called the grain side, or simply the grain; the opposite side is called the flesh side.
Human skin. [Ironical or ludicrous.] His body, active as his mind, Returning sound in limb and wind Except some leather lost behind. Swift, To the Earl of Peterborough.
A round piece, of tanned hide on the end of a fish-hook, designed to keep the bait from sliding up on the line.

61 more from this dictionary »

GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

WordNet (2)

Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

They were old and scruffy, like the boots the others wore, but the quality of the leather was apparent to Christina. — Garwood, Julie - Lion's Lady
Available in Italian leather designs, the Parrot Photo Viewer 7 will retail for — digitalcamerainfo.com
It fits on my shoulder perfectly, the leather is amazing, and it is just the right size, perfectly worn in to look like you have had it for years! — Zappos.com: new styles
High-end Nappa leather is the upholstery of choice and a large LCD screen will control vehicle and route information. — Australian Car Advice | News Blog
Last month, the EU said it would ban a chemical used in Chinese leather shoes and sofas that can cause severe allergic reactions.

More examples »

Add a related word »
Related

Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the Same Context

silk · cloth · plastic · canvas · wool · metal · fur · boot · hide · skin · brass · shirt

Etymologies (3)

American Heritage Dictionary (1)

Middle English lether, from Old English lether- (as in letherhose, leather pants).

Century Dictionary (2)

Early modern English lether, from Middle English lether, from Anglo-Saxon lether (only in comp.) = OFries. leither, leder, lider, leer = Dutch leder, leer = Middle Low German leder, Low German ledder, lier = Old High German Middle High German G. leder = Icelandic ledhr = Danish læder, lǣr = Swedish läder, leather; not found native outside of Teutonic The W. llethr, Breton lezr, ler, are of English or Low German origin.
from leather, n.

leather

View all »
Definitions (76)

American Heritage Dictionary (7)

Century Dictionary (64)

GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

WordNet (2)

Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

Tags

Stats

stop updating
On Twitter

Photos from

Add a related word »
Related

Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the Same Context

Etymologies (3)

American Heritage Dictionary (1)

Century Dictionary (2)

Pronunciations
Record your own »

Charts

Recently looked up

Recent Favorites

Recent Pronunciations

leather

View all » Definitions (76)

View all » Examples (50)

Tags

Stats

stop updating On Twitter

Photos from

Add a related word » Related

synonyms:

Etymologies (3)

Pronunciations Record your own »

Charts

Recently looked up

Recent Favorites

Recent Pronunciations

View all »
Definitions (76)

View all »
Examples (50)

stop updating
On Twitter

Add a related word »
Related

Pronunciations
Record your own »