parchment

parch·ment

noun \ˈpärch-mənt\

Definition of PARCHMENT

1

: the skin of a sheep or goat prepared for writing on

2

: strong, tough, and often somewhat translucent paper made to resemble parchment

3

: a parchment manuscript; also : an academic diploma

Examples of PARCHMENT

1. Ancient people wrote on parchment.
2. a parchment dating back to ancient times
3. Line the pan with a sheet of parchment.

Origin of PARCHMENT

Middle English parchemin, from Anglo-French, modification of Latin pergamena, from Greek pergamēnē, from feminine of Pergamēnos of Pergamum, from Pergamon Pergamum

First Known Use: 14th century

parchment

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Processed skins of certain animals (chiefly sheep, goats, and calves) that have been prepared for the purpose of writing on them. Parchment was probably invented in Greece in the 2nd century BC. Skins had been used for writing material even earlier (c. 2400 BC), but the new, more thorough method of cleaning, stretching, and scraping made possible the use of both sides of a manuscript leaf, leading to the replacement of the rolled manuscript by the bound book (codex). Especially fine parchment is known as vellum. In modern usage, the terms “parchment” and “vellum” are sometimes used for a type of high-quality paper.