buckskin

American  

[buhk-skin] / ˈbʌkˌskɪn /

noun

1. the skin of a buck or deer.

2. a strong, soft, yellowish or grayish leather, originally prepared from deerskins, now usually from sheepskins.

3. buckskins, breeches or shoes made of buckskin.

4. a stiff, firm, starched cotton cloth with a smooth surface and napped back.

5. a sturdy wool fabric constructed in satin weave, napped and cropped short to provide a smooth finish, and used in the manufacture of outer garments.

6. a person, especially a backwoodsman, dressed in buckskin.

7. a horse the color of buckskin.

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adjective

1. made of buckskin.

   buckskin gloves.

2. having the color of buckskin; yellowish or grayish.

buckskin British  

/ ˈbʌkˌskɪn /

noun

1. the skin of a male deer

2. 1. a strong greyish-yellow suede leather, originally made from deerskin but now usually made from sheepskin

   2. ( as modifier )

      buckskin boots

3. (sometimes capital) a person wearing buckskin clothes, esp an American soldier of the Civil War

4. a stiffly starched cotton cloth

5. a strong satin-woven woollen fabric

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adjective

1. greyish-yellow

Etymology

Origin of buckskin

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at buck ¹, skin

Example Sentences

Baker’s Indigenous and German heritage inform her three large abstract collage hangings, created using synthetic turf animated by acrylic paint, yarn and a variety of natural materials, including corn husk, willow, buffalo hide and buckskin.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

Spectators get a chance to see the competitors’ feathered bustles, buckskin dresses, fancy shawls, and beaded head and hair pieces.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 27, 2023

Donning a glimmering buckskin dress, moccasins and hair ties, her appearance at the 45th Academy Awards, at the age of 26, was the first time a Native American woman had stood onstage at the ceremony.

From New York Times • Oct. 3, 2022

Or if the buckskin has been washed for five days in a row, it turns into rawhide.

From Salon • Aug. 31, 2022

In the shallows, two girls in buckskin tunics giggled as they rinsed the boar’s guts, while three small children solemnly made mud-cakes and studded them with sycamore wings.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver