Etymology
From Middle English lether, from Old English leþer (leather), from Proto-West Germanic *leþr, from Proto-Germanic *leþrą (leather), borrowing from Proto-Celtic *ɸlitrom, *letros, from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥tro-. Cognate with West Frisian leare (leather), Low German Leder (leather), Dutch leder, leer (leather), German Leder (leather), Danish læder (leather), Swedish läder (leather), Icelandic leður (leather).
Noun
leather (countable and uncountable, plural leathers)
- A tough material produced from the skin of animals, by tanning or similar process, used e.g. for clothing.
- A piece of the above used for polishing.
- (plural: leathers) clothing made from the skin of animals, often worn by motorcycle riders.
- (baseball) A good defensive play
- Jones showed good leather to snare that liner.
- (boxing) A punch.
- Clipping of fruit leather; puréed fruit that has been poured on a flat surface to form a layer, then dehydrated, yielding a dry, thin, pliable food product that resembles a sheet of leather.
Derived terms
- alligator leather
- antileather
- Dongola leather
- fruit leather
- hemlock leather
- leatherless
- leatherlike
- leathermaker
- leatherwear
- leatherworker
- leatherworking
- leatherworks
- patent leather
- pleather
Adjective
leather (not comparable)
- Made of leather.
Verb
leather (third-person singular simple present leathers, present participle leathering, simple past and past participle leathered)
- To cover with leather.
- To form a leathery surface (on).
- To strike forcefully.
- He leathered the ball all the way down the street.
Credits
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