cordwainer

A cordwainer carefully stitches a leather shoe in his workshop.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A shoemaker: "cordwainer" is an archaic term for a person who makes shoes and other footwear from leather, especially high-quality, custom-made shoes.

Usage Examples

• (The shoemaker crafted fine footwear.)
• (A shoemaker was valued for his skill.)

Advanced Usage

• "to work as a cordwainer": to be employed in the trade of shoemaking.

  • He learned the trade from his father and worked as a cordwainer for forty years. (He practiced the craft of making shoes.)

• "cordwainer's guild": a historical association of shoemakers.

  • The cordwainer's guild regulated the quality of leather goods in the town. (The shoemakers' organization set standards.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cordwainery (n): the craft or trade of a cordwainer; shoemaking.

  • The museum displayed tools used in cordwainery. (The art of shoemaking.)

• Cordwaining (n): the activity or practice of making shoes.

  • He took up cordwaining as a hobby. (Shoemaking as a pastime.)

Synonyms

• Shoemaker: a person who makes or repairs shoes.
• Cobbler: a person who repairs shoes (often distinguished from a cordwainer, who makes new shoes).

Related Idioms

• "The cordwainer's children go barefoot": a proverb meaning that a craftsman often neglects his own needs or family.
  • My father fixed everyone's watches but never repaired his own — truly, the cordwainer's children go barefoot. (The shoemaker's family lacks shoes.)

Phrasal Verbs

• (None commonly associated with "cordwainer".)