leather

Etymology

From Middle English lether, from Old English leþer (“leather”), from Proto-West Germanic *leþr, from Proto-Germanic *leþrą (“leather”), borrowing from Proto-Celtic *ɸlitrom, from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥tro-. Cognate with West Frisian leare (“leather”), Low German Leder (“leather”), Dutch leder, leer (“leather”), German Leder (“leather”), Danish læder (“leather”), Swedish läder (“leather”), Icelandic leður (“leather”).

noun

1. A tough material produced from the skin of animals, by tanning or similar process, used e.g. for clothing.
2. A piece of the above used for polishing.
3. (colloquial) 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. 1918, M. M. Guy, Joe Doughty, page 157
4. (plural: leathers) clothing made from the skin of animals, often worn by motorcycle riders.
5. (baseball) A good defensive play
   Jones showed good leather to snare that liner.
6. (boxing) A punch.
7. (dated, humorous) The skin.
8. Clipping of fruit leather.

adj

1. Made of leather.
2. Referring to one who wears leather clothing (motorcycle jacket, chaps over 501 jeans, boots), especially as a sign of sadomasochistic homosexuality.

verb

1. (transitive) To cover with leather.
   He rose and leathered his Colt as his father came to stand beside him. 2015, Rain Trueax, Lands of Fire
2. (transitive, intransitive) 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. 2003, Bonita Wagner, Satan's Choice, page 66
   Some leather and droop like bat wings, others, as the poet Brenda Hillman writes, are 'hung in hashtags'. 2020, Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life, page 83
3. (transitive) To strike forcefully.
   He leathered the ball all the way down the street.
4. (transitive) 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 Saturday; my father told me to strip myself, and he leathered me, it was with a whip; but I do not know where he got the whip; he tied me with my arms extended so -- (spreading out her arms to their extremity, as if they were to be nailed upon a cross) -- My legs were tied too -- I was at the bottom of the dresser. 1806, Andrew Kippis, The New Annual Register
   My father was furious with me and reached for the strap. He brutally leathered me with it before sending me to bed for the night. 2005, H. Salisbury, Betrayed, page 4
   Anyway, bums were always on view in our family, getting leathered with a heavy belt. 2011, Agnes Owens, Agnes Owens: The Complete Novellas