Library / English Dictionary

LEATHER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("leather" is a kind of...):

animal skin (the outer covering of an animal)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "leather"):

roan (a soft sheepskin leather that is colored and finished to resemble morocco; used in bookbinding)

suede; suede leather (leather with a napped surface)

shoe leather (leather used to make shoes)

fleece; sheepskin (tanned skin of a sheep with the fleece left on; used for clothing)

pigskin (leather from the skin of swine)

patent leather (leather with a hard glossy surface)

morocco (a soft pebble-grained leather made from goatskin; used for shoes and book bindings etc.)

mocha (soft suede glove leather from goatskin)

kid; kidskin (soft smooth leather from the hide of a young goat)

horsehide (leather from the hide of a horse)

glove leather (leather suitable for making gloves)

doeskin (soft leather from deerskin or lambskin)

deerskin (leather from the hide of a deer)

crush; crushed leather (leather that has had its grain pattern accentuated)

cowhide; cowskin (leather made from the hide of a cow)

cordovan (a fine leather originally made in Cordoba, Spain)

chammy; chammy leather; chamois; chamois leather; shammy; shammy leather (a soft suede leather formerly from the skin of the chamois antelope but now from sheepskin)

whit leather; white leather (a leather that has been treated with alum and/or salt)

calf; calfskin (fine leather from the skin of a calf)

Russia leather (a smooth leather tanned with willow, birch, or oak, and scented on the flesh side with birch oil)

ooze leather (a very soft leather made from the skins of calves and having a suede finish on the flesh side)

buff (a soft thick undyed leather from the skins of e.g. buffalo or oxen)

buckskin (a soft yellowish suede leather originally from deerskin but now usually from sheepskin)

alligator (leather made from alligator's hide)

grain (the side of leather from which the hair has been removed)

piece of leather (a separate part consisting of leather)

Derivation:

leathery (resembling or made to resemble leather; tough but pliable)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Whip with a leather strap

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "leather" is one way to...):

flog; lash; lather; slash; strap; trounce; welt; whip (beat severely with a whip or rod)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Credits

 Context examples: 

Summerlee and I got some rough handlin' on the way—there's my skin and my clothes to prove it—for they took us a bee-line through the brambles, and their own hides are like leather.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Direct blue 6 is primarily used for the dyeing of textiles, leather and paper.

(Direct Blue 6, NCI Thesaurus)

She took off her old leather shoes and tried on the silver ones, which fitted her as well as if they had been made for her.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

Such a place was the Grotto, where Brissenden and he lounged in capacious leather chairs and drank Scotch and soda.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Direct brown 95 is primarily used for the dyeing of textiles, leather and paper.

(Direct Brown 95, NCI Thesaurus)

It was a stiff leather purse, with a snap, and had three bright shillings in it, which Peggotty had evidently polished up with whitening, for my greater delight.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Direct black 38 is primarily used for the dyeing of textiles, leather and paper.

(CI Direct Black 38, NCI Thesaurus)

The droop of loosely fitting skin and extensive ear leather give the Black and Tan a distinctive quality.

(Black and Tan Coonhound, NCI Thesaurus)

Benzidine based dyes are mainly used to color textiles, leather and paper but are also found in the rubber, plastic, soap, hair dye and petroleum industries.

(Benzidine Containing Dye, NCI Thesaurus)

I have a new writing-table with a fine surface of red leather.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)