Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Leathery in texture.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Consisting of leather.
- Resembling leather in texture, toughness, pliability, or appearance; leathery.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Consisting of or resembling, leather; leatherlike; tough.
- adjective (Bot.) Stiff, like leather or parchment.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective botany Resembling
leather ;leathery .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective resembling or made to resemble leather; tough but pliable
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Summit forests are low (8-15m) and species-poor; their leaves are almost entirely coriaceous.
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The genus, or rather family of Epeira, is here characterized by many singular forms; some species have pointed coriaceous shells, others enlarged and spiny tibiæ.
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The genus, or rather family of Epeira, is here characterized by many singular forms; some species have pointed coriaceous shells, others enlarged and spiny tibiæ.
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Fronds coriaceous, pale, simply pinnate, or bipinnate below; the divisions broadly linear or oblong, or the sterile sometimes oval, chiefly entire, somewhat heart-shaped, or else truncate at the stalked base.
The Fern Lover's Companion A Guide for the Northeastern States and Canada George Henry Tilton
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Its upper parts and sides are defended by a coat, or rather cloak, of mail, of a coriaceous nature, but exceeding in inflexibility sole-leather of equal thickness.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 20, No. 572, October 20, 1832 Various
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This is a general practice with the granivorous tribes, in order to provide their young with soft and digestible food before they are strong enough to digest the hard, coriaceous seed.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 03, No. 17, March, 1859 Various
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Coleoptera: sheath-winged: an order with the primaries coriaceous, used as a cover only, meeting in a straight line dorsally; mouth mandibulate; pro-thorax free; transformation complete: the beetles: the term has also been applied to the two elytra together.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology John. B. Smith
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The leaves are alternate, oblong, short petioled, nearly coriaceous, about 2 feet long by 6 inches wide, entire or undivided, and of a bright green color.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 598, June 18, 1887 Various
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Hemelytra: a modification of the anterior wings of Heteroptera, coriaceous at base, membranous at tip, not meeting in a straight line at the middle: more specifically applied to the corium; q.v.: also used for the tegmina of Orthoptera.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology John. B. Smith
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The effects of heat and frost are not so apparent in Oak woods, which have a more coriaceous and persistent foliage than other deciduous trees: but Oaks do not attain the perfection of their beauty, until the Ash, the Maple, and the Tupelo -- the glory of the first period of autumn -- have shed a great portion of their leaves.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 08, No. 46, August, 1861 Various
chained_bear commented on the word coriaceous
"He certainly has a private network of informants, some of them in France ... But he is a difficult, coriaceous animal and if this agent does not succeed quite soon, success is improbable..."
--Patrick O'Brian, Treason's Harbour, 61
February 15, 2008
seanahan commented on the word coriaceous
What I like to do with words like this is spend a minute or two enumerating the different conceivable pronunciations, and then guessing which one is correct. I got this one right.
February 18, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word coriaceous
"'As you see,' said Redfern, 'the skin is healing—little inflammation: bone almost entirely covered. Earlier floggings had rendered it coriaceous. We treat with tepid sponging and wool-fat.'"
--Patrick O'Brian, The Nutmeg of Consolation, 327
Another (less grisly) usage note on durian.
March 4, 2008
blafferty commented on the word coriaceous
This word reminds me of the sound of dragging a grater across a lemon. (The lemon is for you, reesetee)
May 4, 2011