lambskin
Noun: 1. The skin of a lamb, especially one dressed with the wool still on it: This refers to the pelt of a young sheep, typically processed with its fleece intact, used for making warm clothing, accessories, or rugs. 2. A fine, soft leather prepared from the skin of a lamb, often used for writing material in the past: Historically, this refers to parchment made from lamb skin, used for important documents or manuscripts.
Referring to material with wool:
- Her winter coat was lined with soft, white lambskin.
- The pilot's helmet was traditionally made from lambskin for warmth.
Referring to fine leather/parchment:
- The ancient scroll was written on delicate lambskin.
- This luxury wallet is crafted from the finest lambskin leather.
- "In lambskin": Used to describe an item made from this material.
- He was dressed in a jacket of the softest lambskin.
- Lambswool: The wool sheared from a lamb, which is particularly soft. This is a related but distinct material.
- This sweater is made from pure lambswool.
- Sheepskin: A very close synonym, though "sheepskin" can refer to the skin of an adult sheep, while "lambskin" specifies a younger animal and often implies a softer, finer quality.
- Parchment: Specifically for the writing material sense.
- Fleece: Refers to the wooly coat; often used in conjunction with skin (e.g., fleece-lined).
(No common idioms are directly formed with the word "lambskin.")
The core meaning centers on the skin of a lamb. The two primary modern applications are: 1) as a winter material with the wool attached for warmth, and 2) as a type of soft, supple leather. The historical use as a writing surface (parchment) is now largely obsolete but remains part of the word's definition.
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skin of a sheep or goat prepared for writing on
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the skin of a lamb with the wool still on
