Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A soft fine leather of goatskin traditionally tanned with sumac and used especially for book bindings.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Leather made from goatskins, tanned with sumac, originally in the Barbary States, but afterward very largely in the Levant, and now produced in Europe from skins imported from Asia and Africa.
  • noun Leather made in imitation of this, often of sheepskins, and used for the same purposes, but much more largely in shoemaking.
  • noun A very strong kind of ale anciently made in Cumberland, said to have a certain amount of beef among its ingredients, the recipe being kept a secret.
  • Made or consisting of morocco; also, of the common red color of morocco leather.
  • To convert into morocco.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A fine kind of leather, prepared commonly from goatskin (though an inferior kind is made of sheepskin), and tanned with sumac and dyed of various colors; -- said to have been first made by the Moors.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A soft leather, made from goatskin, used especially in bookbinding.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a kingdom (constitutional monarchy) in northwestern Africa with a largely Muslim population; achieved independence from France in 1956
  • noun a soft pebble-grained leather made from goatskin; used for shoes and book bindings etc.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[After Morocco.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From country of Morocco, from which this leather was originally imported. Compare maroquin.

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Examples

  • He would publish 1,000 copies of each book; 500 in morocco and 500 in cloth boards of smooth red, magenta, puce or dark blue.

    Publisher William Pickering: The First to Use Cloth Bindings? 2009

  • He would publish 1,000 copies of each book; 500 in morocco and 500 in cloth boards of smooth red, magenta, puce or dark blue.

    2009 October 14 | NIGEL BEALE NOTA BENE BOOKS 2009

  • Handwritten and illustrated by Rowling herself and bound in morocco leather, silver ornaments, and semi-precious stones, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a collection of five wizarding fairy tales.

    An Amazon.com Books Blog featuring news, reviews, interviews and guest author blogs. 2008

  • stupidity is everywhere… we had a map of the world hanging in class (in israel) and one girl points at morocco (next to the word morocco) and says: this is israel, right?

    Regretsy – WTF Alchemy Request 2010

  • Be sure and see that you have a coarse-grained levant morocco, which is much handsomer than the less good hard fine-grained morocco; of course it should be a polished or crushed levant binding, though when you see the pattern piece of leather it will be rough and unpolished.

    The Private Library What We Do Know, What We Don't Know, What We Ought to Know About Our Books Arthur Lee Humphreys 1905

  • The old binders used to be given forests that they might always have a supply of the skins of wild animals; the modern binder has to content himself with importing morocco, which is far the best leather there is, and is very much to be preferred to calf.

    Miscellanies Oscar Wilde 1877

  • Here are to be found not only the silks and pottery, the Jewish goldsmiths 'work, the arms and embroidered saddlery which the city itself produces, but "morocco" from Marrakech, rugs, tent-hangings and matting from Rabat and Salé, grain baskets from

    In Morocco Edith Wharton 1899

  • This is the chief of the Guild of "morocco" workers of

    In Morocco Edith Wharton 1899

  • Marrakech, the road to founders of tower of the Koutoubya at palace of the Bahia at the lamp-lighters of mixed population of bazaars of the "morocco" workers of olive-yards of the Menara of

    In Morocco Edith Wharton 1899

  • Leathers with a prominent grained surface, such as morocco, seal or pig skin, may either have the grain rough or crushed flat.

    Bookbinding, and the Care of Books A handbook for Amateurs, Bookbinders & Librarians Douglas Cockerell 1894

Comments

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  • A type of book binding in the rare/antique book trade--originally leather made from goat or kid skin (imitation morocco leather is usually sheepskin tanned using the same process). Fine grain.

    February 20, 2007

  • Won't somebody please think of the CHILDREN?!?

    February 20, 2007

  • That's what they get for misbehaving. :->

    February 20, 2007