lambskin

IPA/ˈlæmskɪn/
IPA/ˈlæmskɪn/

lambskin — noun

1. a type of soft leather produced from a lamb's hide, often retaining its fleece,

1.nounB1
Definition

a type of soft leather produced from a lamb's hide, often retaining its fleece, prized for its softness and used for making items such as coats, gloves, and slippers

Example

Lucia bought a pair of warm lambskin gloves for her winter trip to Hokkaido.

collocation: lambskin gloves

The baby's blanket was lined with soft lambskin to keep her comfortable.

passive: was lined with [material]

Common collocations
  • lambskin gloves
  • lambskin jacket
  • lambskin coat
  • lambskin leather
  • soft lambskin
  • lined with lambskin
Synonyms
  • sheepskin

    broader term — can come from any sheep, not just a lamb; lambskin is softer and finer

  • lamb leather

    more general term for processed skin from a lamb, may or may not retain the fleece

Usage Note

Often uncountable when referring to the material in general; countable when referring to individual whole skins or pelts.

Common Mistakes

This blanket is made of lambskin wool.
This blanket is lined with lambskin.
Lambskin is a type of leather, not a wool fibre.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Lambskin refers specifically to the prepared hide of a young sheep, prized for its softness and often retaining its wool. Sheepskin is a broader term that covers skin from any sheep and can be coarser. Leather is the general category of treated animal hide, regardless of animal or age. Hide typically refers to the untreated skin of large animals such as cattle or horses, and is much thicker. Fleece is the wool coat of a sheep, not the skin itself. For example, a lambskin jacket is soft and lightweight, a cowhide jacket is heavy and stiff, and a fleece jacket is made of synthetic or wool fabric, not leather at all.

sheepskinleather ↗hide ↗fleece ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • soft as lambskin
  • lambskin trim

Prepositions

  • made of lambskin
  • lined with lambskin

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Lambskin is a compound of lamb (a young sheep, from Old English lamb) and skin (the hide of an animal, from Old English scinn). The word has been used since around the 14th century to describe the prepared hide of a young sheep.