verb
tan
To treat animal hide to make leather.
The workers tan animal hides to make leather for shoes.
Etymology
The French verb belongs to a word family for tanning bark. The treatment converts perishable animal hide into durable leather.
More examples
- This tannery tans cowhides for furniture makers.
- They tanned the hides using oak bark.
- Tanning hides keeps them from rotting and produces durable leather.
Forms
tan · tans · tanned · tanning
tanner noun — A person who makes hides into leather.
tannery noun — A place where hides become leather.