leathery

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Celtic *letrosbor.

Proto-Germanic *leþrą

Proto-West Germanic *leþr

Old English leþer

Middle English lether

English leather

Proto-Indo-European *-kos

Proto-Germanic *-gaz

Proto-West Germanic *-g

Old English -iġ

Middle English -y

English -y

English leathery

From leather + -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛðəɹi/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

leathery (comparative more leathery or leatherier, superlative most leathery or leatheriest)

1. Having the consistency, feel, or texture of leather.

   The beef jerky was tough and leathery.

   • 1965, C. G. Ainsworth, Frederick K[roeber] Sparrow, Alfred S. Sussman, editors, The Fungi: An Advanced Treatise, volume IVB (A Taxonomic Review with Keys: Basidomycetes and Lower Fungi), New York, N.Y.; London: Academic Press, →ISBN, page 422:

     The Agaricales have basidiocarps which are fleshy to subfleshy or rarely, almost leathery (but if the latter then the hymenophore is not poroid).

   • 2007 January 5, The New York Times, “Art in Review”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     It is a staggering work, leathery and reliclike, with most of Pop Art embedded in its fragile surfaces.

Derived terms

• leatheriness
• leathery jacket
• leathery turtle

Translations

having properties of leather

• Bulgarian: кожен (kožen)
• Catalan: coriaci
• Finnish: nahkamainen (fi), nahkainen (fi); nahistunut (primarily of vegetables)
• French: coriace (fr)
• German: ledern (de)
• Portuguese: coriáceo
• Spanish: coriáceo (es)
• Swedish: läderartat (sv)