peau de chagrin

common noun

from 'peau' (skin) and 'chagrin' in the sense of leather, derived from the Turkish 'sagri' or 'çâgri', which originally referred to the rump of a mule or donkey, then, by metonymy, the skin of these animals used to make drums, shoes, or book bindings. The 'peau de sagrin' of the 16th century became 'peau de chagrin' through the influence of the common word 'chagrin'.

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