noun
- A fine leather made from the skin of a goat or sheep, originally from Córdoba, Spain, and traditionally used for shoes and other goods.
Usage: archaic; historical
Examples
- Medieval shoemakers prized cordwain for its durability and suppleness.
- The merchant imported cordwain from Spain to sell at the market.
- Cordwain was a luxury material available only to the wealthy in the Middle Ages.
- The cordwainer, or shoemaker, worked exclusively with cordwain leather.
- Fine cordwain shoes were a status symbol among the nobility.