WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
parch•ment /ˈpɑrtʃmənt/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- the skin of sheep, goats, etc., prepared so as to be written on:[uncountable]scrolls of parchment.
- Printing something written, as a manuscript, on such material:[countable]ancient parchments with odd symbols on them.
- Printing[uncountable] a kind of stiff, off-white paper treated so as to be like this material.
- [countable] a diploma.
parch•ment
(pärch′mənt),USA pronunciation n.
parch′ment•like′, parch′ment•y, adj.
- the skin of sheep, goats, etc., prepared for use as a material on which to write.
- Printinga manuscript or document on such material.
- Printinga stiff, off-white paper resembling this material.
- a diploma.
- Medieval Latin pergamīnum, variant of pergamēnum, for Late Latin Pergamēna charta paper of Pergamum)
- Old French (-min
- Latin Parthica (pellis) Parthian (leather) + -ment (compare Medieval Latin percamentum, Dutch perkament)); replacing Middle English parchemin
- Middle French, Old French (parche
- late Middle English 1275–1325