maroquin

English

Book bound in maroquin

Etymology

From French, alteration of marocain (“Moroccan”), where the leather was first produced. Doublet of marocain.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ma‧ro‧quin

Noun

maroquin (countable and uncountable, plural maroquins)

1. (somewhat dated) leather made from goatskin
   • 1919, Ronald Firbank, Valmouth, Duckworth, hardback edition, page 122

     Oscillating freely a long chair incense swinger, a youthful server, magnificent in white silk stockings and Neapolitan-violet maroquin shoes, presented himself on the threshold in a fragrant veil of smoke.

Usage notes

Somewhat refined or dated: the Anglicized morocco leather or simply morocco is often used instead.

Synonyms

• (goatskin leather): morocco leather, morocco

See also

• chargrin
• shagreen

French

Etymology

Alteration of marocain (“Moroccan”), where the leather was first produced

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.ʁɔ.kɛ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛ̃
• Homophones: marocain, Marocain, marocains, Marocains

Noun

maroquin m (plural maroquins)

1. marocain (type of leather)
2. Object made of marocain
3. (figuratively, by extension) ministerial briefcase

Derived terms

• maroquinerie

Further reading

• “maroquin”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.