leather Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
  2. verb whip with a leather strap

WordNet

Leath"er noun
Etymology
OE. lether, AS. leer; akin to D. leder, leêr, G. leder, OHG. ledar, Icel. ler, Sw. läder, Dan. læder.
Definitions
  1. The skin of an animal, or some part of such skin, tanned, tawed, or otherwise dressed for use; also, dressed hides, collectively.
  2. The skin. Ironical or Sportive ✍ Leather is much used adjectively in the sense of made of, relating to, or like, leather. Ure.
Leath"er transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Leathered ; present participle & verbal noun Leathering
Definitions
  1. To beat, as with a thong of leather. Obs. or Colloq. G. Eliot.

Webster 1913