Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “leather” come from?

Leather comes from Middle English lether, from Old English leþer, from Proto-Germanic leþrą, from Proto-Indo-European létrom, ultimately from the root pl̥tro-.

leather (English): A tough material produced from the skin of...

Definitions

  1. A tough material produced from the skin of...

Ancestry of “leather”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstockingA soft garment, usually knit or woven, worn on...
2English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
3Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
4Old English-tūn—
5Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
6Proto-West Germanictūnfence
7Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
8Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
9Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
10Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “leather”

  • leathery
  • leatherback
  • leatherbound
  • leatherwork
  • leatherworking
  • leatherwood
  • leatherworker
  • leatherjacket
  • leatherneck
  • leatherlike
  • leatherman
  • leatherware
  • leatherseller
  • leathercraft
  • leatherworks
  • leatherhead
  • nonleather
  • leatherwear
  • leathersex
  • whitleather
  • leathergoods
  • leatherboard
  • leatheriness
  • leathermaking
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →