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eelskin

eelskin

7.8
Leather made from the skin of an eel that people use for wallets or purses
  • noun
  • /ˈiːlˌskɪn/
translation icon : piel de anguila
  • She showed off her new eelskin wallet, which felt soft and supple in her hand.
  • eelskin wallet

Examples

  • Then I see in the back a man's dance belt hanging from a hook like a trophy, and the black eelskin wallet nestled inside its crotch pouch.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • "She pointed to the eelskin bag leaning in the corner, a black monster that looked large enough to house a colony of bats.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Korean "eelskin" buyers continue to show interest in Pacific hagfish for their skins when Asian hagfish availability is down and the quality of U.S. West Coast hagfish skins is good.

    Academic text (1993)
  • He placed his eelskin purse carefully on the table, admiring its glossy finish.

  • The shop featured a wide range of accessories made from eelskin, including belts and bags.

Synonyms

leather
vseelskin
509 1.0

The skin of an animal made smooth and used to make items like shoes and bags

is a specific type sourced from an aquatic animal, used for small accessories

Surface Forms

eelskin singular
eelskins plural

Morphology

eelskin = eel + skin (transparent) = eel + skin

The meaning is a literal compound 'skin of an eel' (leather from eel skin), which is directly inferable from the parts.

Etymology

Eelskin comes from the simple words eel and skin, meaning 'eel' and 'skin', so it literally meant the skin of an eel. That's why eelskin today means leather made from eel skin, often used for wallets and purses because it has a smooth, shiny, and slightly different texture.