leather
n. C / Un. a strong, flexible material made from the skin of animals like cows or sheep. It is often used to make shoes, bags, and jackets.
n. the skin of an animal, such as a cow or pig, that has been treated with chemicals to preserve it and make it flexible. Often used as a collective noun for items made from this material.
She wears a black leather jacket every day.
The luxury car features soft leather seats and a matching steering wheel cover.
Artisans in the local market still use traditional vegetable tanning methods to produce leather that ages beautifully over several decades of use.
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-. 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”).
Uncountable when referring to the material in general; countable when referring to specific types or pieces of the material.