leather
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
leather¹
- /ˈlɛðə/ UK
- /ˈlɛðɚ/ US
- /ˈleðə/ Australia, New Zealand
- /ˈlɛðəɾ/ Scotland
- /ˈlʌðəɹ/ dialectal, obsolete
Rhymes with -ɛðə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
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- (“skin, hide”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Leder (“leather”), West Frisian leare (“leather”), Low German Leder (“leather”), Dutch leder, leer (“leather”), German Leder (“leather”), Danish læder (“leather”), Swedish läder (“leather”), Icelandic leður (“leather”). Compare also English fell (“skin, hide, pelt”), film.
noun leathers
- A tough material produced from the skin of animals, by tanning or similar process, used e.g. for clothing; often denotes leather from cattle when no qualifier specifies otherwise.
- A piece of the above used for polishing.
- A cricket ball or football. The goalee made a frantic grab as the leather spun clean past him, but he was just a second too late, and Joe had scored for Redcliff.
- clothing made from the skin of animals, often worn by motorcycle riders.
- A good defensive play Jones showed good leather to snare that liner.
- A punch.
- The skin.
- Clipping of fruit leather
adjective
-
Made of leather.
Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.[…]A silver snaffle on a heavy leather watch guard which connected the pockets of his corduroy waistcoat, together with a huge gold stirrup in his Ascot tie, sufficiently proclaimed his tastes.
Similar: leathern
- Referring to one who wears leather clothing (motorcycle jacket, chaps over 501 jeans, boots), especially as a sign of sadomasochistic homosexuality.
- Referring to an establishment of familial relations through agreed sexual or romantic deviance. Some research has documented the phenomenon of leather families as a form of intentional, chosen families created by members of sexual and gender minority groups, often in the face of biological family rejection and marginalization in society (Bauer, 2010; Hammack et al., 2019; Murphy & Bjorngaard,
verb leathers · leathering · leathered
- To cover with leather. He rose and leathered his Colt as his father came to stand beside him.
- To form a leathery surface (on). By the appearance of his deep suntan, which had leathered his skin, and the calluses that covered his hands, Sheriff Anderson figured the man to be one of the area ranchers.
- To strike forcefully. He leathered the ball all the way down the street.
- To spank or beat with a leather belt or strap. My father was very angry with me— -he took and leathered ( beat) me, because I ran away from my school ; for I did run away from my school ; he took and tied me up on a Sunday morning, leathered me a Friday night, and Saturday night : I was stripped naked when he leathered me on Friday night, and Sa
Leather²
Where it comes from
English surname, from the noun leather.
proper noun
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: leathery, coriaceous, tough, tanning, fur, skin, hat, oxhide, dustpan, shovel, flogging, hide, pager, read, hides, pelt
Translations
Every language
noun material produced by tanning animal skin
| Español | cuero, antelina (faux) |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 가죽 gajuk, 피혁 pihyeok, 레더 redeo |
| 日本語 | 皮革 hikaku, 革 kawa, レザー rezā |
| 中文 | 皮革 pígé, 皮 pí |
| हिन्दी | चमड़ा camṛā, चर्म carm |
| Kiswahili | ngozi |
| Português | couro |
| Français | cuir |
| Deutsch | Leder |
| Italiano | cuoio |
| Ελληνικά | δέρμα dérma |
| Română | piele, piele de animal |
| Русский | ко́жа kóža |
| Tiếng Việt | da thuộc |
| العربية | جِلْد jild |
| עברית | עוֹר or |
Talk about this word "leather." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/leather. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. leather. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/leather "leather." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/leather.Cite this
@misc{leather_2026,
title = {leather},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/leather},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
