parchment

[ pahrch-muhnt ]

noun

1. the skin of sheep, goats, etc., prepared for use as a material on which to write.
2. a manuscript or document on such material.
3. a stiff, off-white paper resembling this material.
4. a diploma.

parchment

/ ˈpɑːtʃmənt /

noun

1. the skin of certain animals, such as sheep, treated to form a durable material, as for bookbinding, or (esp formerly) manuscripts
2. a manuscript, bookbinding, etc, made of or resembling this material
3. a type of stiff yellowish paper resembling parchment

Derived Forms

• ˈparchmenty, adjective

Other Words From

• parchment·like parchment·y adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of parchment¹

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 )

Word History and Origins

Origin of parchment¹

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)

Example Sentences

Rather too much time is spent repeating staged close-ups of a left hand sketching in ink or applying paint, or else executing inscrutable mirror-writing on parchment — Leonardo’s secretive signature method — coupled with explanatory voice-over.

From Los Angeles Times

When the cake is ready to come out of the pan, bakers can run a knife along the short sides of the pan and then gently lift it out by holding the parchment..

From Salon

The King, who has an occupational interest in signing things, looked at earlier versions of rolls on shiny parchment and said: "You'd have frightful difficulty signing on that."

From BBC

She says she lets the peppers sit at room temperature on a piece of parchment paper, turning them occasionally over a period of weeks.

From Los Angeles Times

She entered with “a smell of ozone and disinfectant and age,” the classy intro explained, and with “a voice that crackles like ancient parchment.”

From New York Times