sheepskin

[sheep-skin] /ˈʃipˌskɪn/
noun
1.
the skin of a sheep, especially such a skin dressed with the wool on, as for a garment.
2.
leather, parchment, or the like, made from the skin of sheep.
3.
Informal. a diploma.
adjective
4.
made from the skin of a sheep.
5.
(of a garment) lined with the skin of a sheep dressed with the wool on.
Origin
1150-1200; Middle English shepskinn. See sheep, skin
Examples from the web for sheepskin
  • His under garment was sackcloth, over which he wore a white coat of sheepskin, with a girdle.
  • Employers are quick to use the sheepskin as an easy gating mechanism for entrance to or advancement of employment.
  • They dressed up in wide white pants, sheepskin vests, and carved wood masks with sheep's horns.
  • The players on horseback compete for points by throwing a stuffed sheepskin into a well.
  • Mounted players compete for points by throwing a stuffed sheepskin into a well.
  • She wears red hooded sweatshirts and little sheepskin booties.
  • Originally hand-drawn on sheepskin, traditional nautical charts have for generations been printed on paper.
  • Avoid synthetic sheepskin for pressure redistribution.
  • The book shelves are cast iron and were originally covered in sheepskin.
  • Thanks to the snow and the sheepskin coat that he is wearing in this photo, his only injury was a broken collar bone.
British Dictionary definitions for sheepskin

sheepskin

/ˈʃiːpˌskɪn/
noun
1.
  1. the skin of a sheep, esp when used for clothing, etc, or with the fleece removed and used for parchment
  2. (as modifier): a sheepskin coat
Word Origin and History for sheepskin
n.

c.1200, "the skin of a sheep," from sheep + skin (n.). Meaning "diploma" dates from 1804; so called because formerly made of sheepskin parchment.

Slang definitions & phrases for sheepskin

sheepskin

noun

A college or university diploma

[1804+; fr the fact that diplomas were once made of sheepskin]