imitation leather
1
3.5
- noun
- /ˌɪmɪˈteɪʃən ˈlɛðər/
:
cuero sintético
- The chairs, light-tan imitation leather, sat snugly on stubby metal cylinders.
- covered in imitation leather
Examples
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For instance, a number of luxury dog beds employ an imitation leather style, which may fit just perfectly with surrounding home furniture.
Blog text (27) -
My boots are imitation leather.
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You don't have to tell me that it's imitation leather.
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There was an imitation-leather briefcase resting against the table leg next to her right foot.
Fiction book (2001) -
When Janet sits in the big imitation-leather chair with baby John wedged in next to her, Lefty directs all eyes to his little girl.
Fiction book (1991) -
Jack stood at the closet door, looking at a row of Hagar slacks, Docker sport coats, and imitation leather shoes...
Fiction book (2000) -
I did and found no pages from the novel, but at the bottom of the box, under various personal effects, I came across a brown imitation-leather folder with RALPH W. ELLISON embossed in gold letters on the front.
Fiction book (1997) -
So she comes up to New York in her best Donna Karan dress-for-success knockoff, blond hair all done up in a French twist, and an audition tape in her imitation leather briefcase, along with a letter of introduction from her station manager.
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On one side of the small, shabby space was a seating area consisting of a Formica dinette table surrounded by a cracked imitation-leather banquette; directly opposite was a matching couch.
Fiction book (2001) -
My new couch is made of imitation leather, making it easy to clean.
Synonyms
2
5.2
A material made from plastic that looks like leather
Covered with a leather-like material used on furniture and jackets
A soft fabric that looks and feels like leather used for jackets or bags
How Realistic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'imitation' (a replica/substitute) modifying 'leather' yields a material that resembles leather. This modifier+noun pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Imitation leather comes from the words imitation, meaning a copy, and leather, meaning animal skin. Makers copied the look and feel with cloth or plastic so the material 'imitated' real leather, and that's why the phrase means 'a material made to look like leather but not real leather'.