Cordewan

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A high-quality leather traditionally made from goatskin, used for fine shoes and garments
2. A durable, soft leather originally produced in Córdoba and prized for its smoothness and strength
3. A superior grade of leather worked from goatskin, historically valued for footwear and decorative purposes

Etymology: Medieval Spain's leather trade gave English both a material and a trade name. The city of Córdoba was famous for fine goatskin leather, and Old French "cordouan" came to mean that leather. English borrowed it as "cordewan," a soft, durable leather prized for the best shoes. The more surprising afterlife is in the people who worked it. Makers of cordwain were called cordwainers, and that name outlasted the leather itself, becoming the formal English word for a shoemaker. London's Worshipful Company of Cordwainers, a livery guild, still uses the title. The material's name survives in the colour "cordovan," a deep reddish-brown that matches the original leather.