parchment

American  

[pahrch-muhnt] / ˈpɑrtʃ mənt /

noun

1. the skin of sheep, goats, etc., prepared for use as a material on which to write.

2. a manuscript or document on such material.

3. a stiff, off-white paper resembling this material.

4. a diploma.

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parchment British  

/ ˈpɑːtʃmənt /

noun

1. the skin of certain animals, such as sheep, treated to form a durable material, as for bookbinding, or (esp formerly) manuscripts

2. a manuscript, bookbinding, etc, made of or resembling this material

3. a type of stiff yellowish paper resembling parchment

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Other Word Forms

• parchmentlike adjective
• parchmenty adjective

Etymology

Origin of parchment

1275–1325; late Middle English < Middle French, Old French ( parche < Latin Parthica ( pellis ) Parthian (leather) + -ment (compare Medieval Latin percamentum, Dutch perkament )); replacing Middle English parchemin < Old French ( -min < Medieval Latin pergamīnum, variant of pergamēnum, for Late Latin Pergamēna charta paper of Pergamum )

Example Sentences

It was a tightly rolled piece of parchment.

From Literature

The glass tube that once held the parchment was shattered on the ground.

From Literature

Cut your sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes and spread them evenly on a large sheet pan covered in parchment paper.

From Salon

Even into my adulthood he suggested I display it in my office alongside my Phi Beta Kappa parchment so that visitors could assess my character as well as my academic achievements.

From The Wall Street Journal

We wait as the officer at arms, dressed in a black robe and white collar, takes his place at the center of the Plaza Mayor and unrolls a parchment.

From Literature