n. [ OE. lether, AS. leðer; akin to D. leder, leêr, G. leder, OHG. ledar, Icel. leðr, Sw. läder, Dan. læder. ] 1. The skin of an animal, or some part of such skin, with the hair removed, and tanned, tawed, or otherwise dressed for use; also, dressed hides, collectively. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The skin. [ Ironical or Sportive ] [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Leather is much used adjectively in the sense of made of, relating to, or like, leather. [ 1913 Webster ]

Leather board, an imitation of sole leather, made of leather scraps, rags, paper, etc. --
Leather carp (Zool.) , a variety of carp in which the scales are all, or nearly all, absent. See Illust. under Carp. --
Leather jacket. (Zool.) (a) A California carangoid fish (Oligoplites saurus). (b) A trigger fish (Balistes Carolinensis). --
Leather flower (Bot.), a climbing plant (Clematis Viorna) of the Middle and Southern States having thick, leathery sepals of a purplish color. --
Leather leaf (Bot.), a low shrub (Cassandra calyculata), growing in Northern swamps, and having evergreen, coriaceous, scurfy leaves. --
Leather plant (Bot.), one or more New Zealand plants of the composite genus Celmisia, which have white or buff tomentose leaves. --
Leather turtle. (Zool.) See Leatherback. --
Vegetable leather. (a) An imitation of leather made of cotton waste. (b) Linen cloth coated with India rubber. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Leathered p. pr. & vb. n. Leathering. ] To beat, as with a thong of leather. [ Obs. or Colloq. ] G. Eliot. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of, pertaining to or made of leather; consisting of leather; as, a black leather jacket. [ PJC ]

n. (Zool.) A large sea turtle (Sphargis coriacea), having no bony shell on its back. It is common in the warm and temperate parts of the Atlantic, and sometimes weighs over a thousand pounds; -- called also leather turtle, leathery turtle, leather-backed tortoise, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ , n. [ Leather + et, F. -ette. ] A material made in imitation of leather, made of paper and cloth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. any of several brightly colored tropical filefishes.
Syn. -- leatherjacket. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Zool.) The friar bird. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. any of several New World tropical fishes having tiny embedded scales; the leatherjacket{ 2 }.
Syn. -- leatherjacket. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. any of several brightly colored tropical filefishes.
Syn. -- leatherfish. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. any of several New World tropical fishes having tiny embedded scales.
Syn. -- leatherjack. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. The tough-skinned larva of certain crane flies. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. A stiff leathery-leaved fern (Polypodium scouleri) of Western North America having ovate fronds parted to the midrib.
Syn. -- leathery polypody, coast polypody, Polypodium scouleri. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. A northern temperate bog shrub (Chamaedaphne calyculata) with evergreen leathery leaves and small white cylindrical flowers.
Syn. -- Chamaedaphne calyculata. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. resembling or made to resemble leather; tough but pliable; leathery.
Syn. -- coriaceous, leathered, leathery. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Made of leather; consisting of leather; as, a leathern purse. “A leathern girdle about his loins.” Matt. iii. 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Zool.) The sordid friar bird of Australia (Tropidorhynchus sordidus). [ 1913 Webster ]

2. [ from the leather collar that was once part of their uniform. ] A member of the United States Marine Corps; a United States Marine. [ slang ] [ PJC ]

n. (Bot.) A small branching shrub (Dirca palustris), with a white, soft wood, and a tough, leathery bark, common in damp woods in the Northern United States; -- called also moosewood, and wicopy. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Articles made of leather. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Resembling leather in appearance or consistency; tough; as, nothing but a leathery steak left to eat. “A leathery skin.” Grew. [ 1913 Webster ]

. Leather made from sheep and calf skins by mechanically forcing ooze through them; esp., such leather with a soft, finely granulated finish (called sometimes
velvet finish) put on the flesh side for special purposes. Ordinary ooze leather is used for shoe uppers, in bookbinding, etc. Hence
Ooze calf,
Ooze finish, etc. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. Upper leather. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ White + leather. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Leather dressed or tawed with alum, salt, etc., remarkable for its pliability and toughness; white leather. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Anat.) The paxwax. See Paxwax. [ 1913 Webster ]