parfleche

[ pahr-flesh, pahr-flesh ]

/ ˈpɑr flɛʃ, pɑrˈflɛʃ /

noun

a rawhide that has been dried after having been soaked in a solution of lye and water to remove the hair.

an article or object, as a case, pouch, etc., made of such rawhide.

Nearby words

pareu, pareunia, parev, pareve, parfait, parfleche, parfocal, parfum, pargasite, parget, pargeting

Origin of parfleche

1820–30; < Canadian French parflèche, equivalent to French par(er) to parry (see para-²) + flèche arrow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for parfleche

They carry the parfleche with the tongues in it on a robe, each man holding a corner.
The Sun Dance of the Blackfoot Indians|Clark Wissler
They built three great tepees, in one of which were stored rows upon rows of parfleche bags of dried meat.
Myths and Legends of the Sioux|Marie L. McLaughlin
The painted tongue and then the others are placed on the parfleche.
The Sun Dance of the Blackfoot Indians|Clark Wissler
La Luna sat near her brother, sewing “parfleche” soles upon a pair of moccasins.
The Scalp Hunters|Mayne Reid

Then everybody began to sing hard, and four young men pounded with sticks on a parfleche, in time to the music.
When Buffalo Ran|George Bird Grinnell

British Dictionary definitions for parfleche

parfleche

/ (ˈpɑːflɛʃ) /

noun US and Canadian

a sheet of rawhide that has been dried after soaking in lye and water to remove the hair

an object, such as a case, made of this

Word Origin for parfleche

C19: from Canadian French, from French parer to ward off, protect + flèche arrow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012