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cordwainer

cordwainer

1 9.9
A person who makes fine leather shoes by hand
  • noun
  • /ˈkɔrdˌweɪnər/
  • Archaic
translation icon : zapatero
  • This is why nobles dueled over church seats, cordwainers fought over whose boot was better, and squires pummeled each other for the attention of the king.

Examples

  • He was heavily influenced by the science fiction of Philip K. Dick, James Tiptree, Jr., and Cordwainer Smith.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • William Maphew and John Trott, two Cambridge cordwainers, came to blows after the former showed off his boots to his friend at an alehouse.

    Academic text (2009)
  • I've got the Cordwainer Smith collection on my bookshelf; I might re-read it after my current novel.

    Blog text (5)
  • In Cordwainer Smith's sci-fi novel "Norstrilia," they had eugenic panels for everyone at the age of 18; they kept their population down and their culture spartan in spite of immense riches, which they thought otherwise would ruin them.

    Blog text (31)
  • The local cordwainer crafted a beautiful pair of shoes for the wedding.

  • After searching for months, she finally found a cordwainer who created custom leather sneakers.

  • He took his worn-out shoes to the cordwainer to see if they could be repaired.

Synonyms

souter
vscordwainer
  • Archaic
34 9.9

An old Scottish person who makes and repairs shoes

is the modern professional term for fine new leather handmade shoes
shoemaker
vscordwainer
16 2.6

A person who makes or repairs shoes

refers specifically to making fine new leather shoes often by hand
cobbler
vscordwainer
12 4.4

A person who makes or repairs shoes

is used for a maker of fine new leather shoes rather than just repairs
boot maker
vscordwainer
1 3.2

A person who makes boots by hand

is narrower, referring to makers of fine new leather shoes rather than boots
crispin
vscordwainer
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who makes and repairs shoes

is the current term used for skilled makers of fine new leather shoes
shoeman
vscordwainer
  • Archaic
5.1

A person who makes or sells shoes

is the specialized term for skilled creators of fine new leather shoes

How Skilled

cordwainer
  • Archaic
1 9.9
shoemaker
16 2.6
cobbler
12 4.4

Surface Forms

cordwainer singular
cordwainers plural

Etymology

Cordwainer comes from the name of the Spanish city Córdoba, because the very fine leather made there was called cordovan. So a cordwainer was originally a maker of shoes from that special leather, and today the word means a shoemaker who makes fine leather shoes.