leather

[leth -er] /ˈlɛð ər/
noun
1.
the skin of an animal, with the hair removed, prepared for use by tanning or a similar process designed to preserve it against decay and make it pliable or supple when dry.
2.
an article made of this material.
3.
stirrup leather.
adjective
4.
pertaining to, made of, or resembling leather:
leather processing; leather upholstery.
5.
Slang. catering to or patronized by customers who typically wear leather clothing, often as a means of signaling interest in or preference for sadomasochistic sexual activity.
verb (used with object)
6.
to cover or furnish with leather.
7.
Informal. to beat with a leather strap.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English lether, Old English lether- (in compounds); cognate with Dutch, German leder, Old Norse lethr, MIr lethar skin, leather, Welsh lledr, Middle Breton lezr leather
Related forms
underleather, noun
unleathered, adjective
Examples from the web for leather
  • There is little distinction between wearing fur and wearing leather.
  • But he brought the shoe leather together using new media.
  • And look for wooden pegs rather than nails in the soles: when wet, the wood expands and contracts with the leather.
  • Natural vegetable-tanned leather in an everyday-sized tote.
  • Wood is lashed together with rawhide and covered with colored leather and metal ornaments.
  • The main difference is in the cover, which opts for colored cloth instead of faux leather.
  • leather was hot fashion for fall and looks to be equally popular this spring.
  • The bar area was shrouded in white boudoir curtains, with a chocolate leather daybed nearby.
  • The first aviators adopted leather as their material of choice because of its durability, warmth, and good looks.
  • Paint would last longer leather and interiors would last longer.
British Dictionary definitions for leather

leather

/ˈlɛðə/
noun
1.
  1. a material consisting of the skin of an animal made smooth and flexible by tanning, removing the hair, etc
  2. (as modifier): leather goods, related adjectives coriaceous leathern
2.
(pl) leather clothes, esp as worn by motorcyclists
3.
the flap of a dog's ear
verb (transitive)
4.
to cover with leather
5.
to whip with or as if with a leather strap
Word Origin
Old English lether- (in compound words); related to Old High German leder, Old Norse lethr-
Word Origin and History for leather
n.

Old English leðer (in compounds only) "hide, skin, leather," from Proto-Germanic *lethran (cf. Old Norse leðr, Old Frisian lether, Old Saxon lethar, Middle Dutch, Dutch leder, Old High German ledar, German leder), from PIE *letro- "leather" (cf. Old Irish lethar, Welsh lledr, Breton lezr). As an adjective from early 14c.; it acquired a secondary sense of "sado-masochistic" 1980s, having achieved that status in homosexual jargon in the 1970s.

Slang definitions & phrases for leather

leather

modifier

: jokes about the heroine's harmless male roommate, leather men, etc/becomes part of the leather-bar homosexual underworld/the sex clubs and leather bars of the gay ghetto

noun
  1. The clothing and trappings of overt sadomasochism (1980s+)
  2. A kind of male homosexual behavior, costume, etc, based on exaggerated masculinity as symbolized esp by black-leather-clad motorcycle gangs (1970s+ Homosexuals)
Related Terms

heavy leather, hell-for-leather


leather in the Bible

a girdle of, worn by Elijah (2 Kings 1:8) and John the Baptist (Matt. 3:4). Leather was employed both for clothing (Num. 31:20; Heb. 11:37) and for writing upon. The trade of a tanner is mentioned (Acts 9:43; 10:6, 32). It was probably learned in Egypt.

Idioms and Phrases with leather

leather

see: hell-bent for leather