the skin of sheep, goats, etc., prepared for use as a material on which to write.
2.
a manuscript or document on such material.
3.
a stiff, off-white paper resembling this material.
4.
a diploma.
Origin: 1275–1325; late ME < MF, OF (parche < L Parthica (pellis) Parthian (leather) + -ment(cf. ML percamentum, D perkament)); r. ME parchemin < OF (-min < ML pergamīnum, var. of pergamēnum, for LL Pergamēna charta paper of Pergamum)
c.1300, from O.Fr. perchemin (O.N.Fr. parcamin), from L.L. pergamenum "parchment," from Late Gk. pergamenon "of Pergamon," in allusion to Pergamon "Pergamum" (modern Bergama), city in Mysia in Asia Minor where it was supposedly first adopted as a substitute for papyrus, 2c. B.C.E. Possibly infl. in V.L. by L. parthica (pellis) "Parthian (leather)." Alt. in M.E. by confusion with nouns in -ent.
[pahrch-muh
nt] 