leather

English Online Dictionary. What means leather‎? What does leather mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English lether, from Old English leþer (“leather”), from Proto-West Germanic *leþr, from Proto-Germanic *leþrą (“leather”), possibly borrowed 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”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛðə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛðɚ/
• (dialectal, obsolete) IPA^(key): /ˈlʌðəɹ/
• Rhymes: -ɛðə(ɹ)

Noun

leather (countable and uncountable, plural leathers)

2. A tough material produced from the skin of animals, by tanning or similar process, used e.g. for clothing.

   Coordinate term: pseudoleather

3. A piece of the above used for polishing.
4. (colloquial) A cricket ball or football.
5. (plural: leathers) clothing made from the skin of animals, often worn by motorcycle riders.
6. (baseball) A good defensive play

7. (boxing) A punch.
8. (dated, humorous) The skin.
9. Clipping of fruit leather.

Hyponyms

• (types of leather): chagrin, cordovan, cordwain, galuchat, maroquin, morocco, morocco leather, shagreen, sharkskin, taw

Derived terms

Descendants

• Tok Pisin: let
• → Esperanto: ledo
• → Ido: ledro

Translations

Adjective

leather (not comparable)

1. Made of leather.

   Synonym: leathern
2. Referring to one who wears leather clothing (motorcycle jacket, chaps over 501 jeans, boots), especially as a sign of sadomasochistic homosexuality.
3. Referring to an establishment of familial relations through agreed sexual or romantic deviance.

Translations

Verb

leather (third-person singular simple present leathers, present participle leathering, simple past and past participle leathered)

1. (transitive) To cover with leather.
2. (transitive, intransitive) To form a leathery surface (on).
4. (transitive) To strike forcefully.

5. (transitive) To spank or beat with a leather belt or strap.

Derived terms

References

Anagrams

• Tar Heel, Tarheel, haltere, lethera