parchment
[ pahrch-muh nt ]
/ ˈpɑrtʃ mənt /
noun
the skin of sheep, goats, etc., prepared for use as a material on which to write.
a manuscript or document on such material.
a stiff, off-white paper resembling this material.
a diploma.
Origin of parchment
1275–1325; late Middle English < Middle French, Old French (
parche < Latin
Parthica (
pellis) Parthian (leather) +
-ment (compare Medieval Latin
percamentum, Dutch
perkament)); replacing Middle English
parchemin < Old French (
-min < Medieval Latin
pergamīnum, variant of
pergamēnum, for Late Latin
Pergamēna charta paper of
Pergamum)
OTHER WORDS FROM parchment
parch·ment·like, parch·ment·y, adjectiveWords nearby parchment
parceling,
parcenary,
parcener,
parch,
parcheesi,
parchment,
parchment paper,
parchment worm,
parchmentize,
parclose,
parcours
Example sentences from the Web for parchment
British Dictionary definitions for parchment
parchment
/ (ˈpɑːtʃmənt) /
noun
the skin of certain animals, such as sheep, treated to form a durable material, as for bookbinding, or (esp formerly) manuscripts
a manuscript, bookbinding, etc, made of or resembling this material
a type of stiff yellowish paper resembling parchment
Derived forms of parchment
parchmenty, adjectiveWord Origin for parchment
C13: from Old French
parchemin, via Latin from Greek
pergamēnē, from
Pergamēnos of Pergamum (where parchment was made); the form of Old French
parchemin was influenced by
parche leather, from Latin
Parthica (
pellis) Parthian (leather)