dubbin

[ duhb-in ]

noun

1. a mixture of tallow and oil used in dressing leather.

dubbin

/ ˈdʌbɪn /

noun

1. a greasy mixture of tallow and oil applied to leather to soften it and make it waterproof

Word History and Origins

Origin of dubbin¹

1815–25; variant of gerund of dub ¹( def ) (in the sense “rubbing or smoothing leather or wood”)

Word History and Origins

Origin of dubbin¹

C18: from dub to dress leather; see dub ¹

Example Sentences

We don't polish steel, but there is a wonderful lot of hard work in rubbing dubbin into all the leather.

From Project Gutenberg

The final process was to give the field shoe a thorough coat of waterproof dubbin.

From Project Gutenberg

I love the smell of the leather and the sight of all those sharp little knives, and the black, shiny 'dubbin,' do you call it?

From Project Gutenberg

I only 'ad a little wound in me 'and, an' I used ter plug it wi' dubbin' an' boot-polish ter keep it raw.

From Project Gutenberg

The dubbin is brushed thickly on to the flesh side of the sammed leather, which is then hung up to dry.

From Project Gutenberg