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sheepskin

 - 4 dictionary results

sheep⋅skin

[sheep-skin]
–noun
1. the skin of a sheep, esp. such a skin dressed with the wool on, as for a garment.
2. leather, parchment, or the like, made from the skin of sheep.
3. Informal. a diploma.
–adjective
4. made from the skin of a sheep.
5. (of a garment) lined with the skin of a sheep dressed with the wool on.

Origin:
1150–1200; ME shepskinn. See sheep, skin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sheep·skin   (shēp'skĭn')   
n.  
  1. The skin of a sheep either tanned with the fleece left on or in the form of leather or parchment.

  2. Informal A diploma.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
sheepskin

  1. n.
    a high school or college diploma. : When you get that sheepskin on the wall, you'll feel like it was all worth something.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

sheepskin 
c.1200, "the skin of a sheep," from sheep + skin (n.). Meaning "diploma" dates from 1804; so called because formerly made of sheepskin parchment.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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