Shagreen
/ʃəˈɡriːn/noun
A rough, pebbled leather or skin, often used decoratively; also the skin of certain sharks or rays prepared for use as leather.
Did you know?Shagreen ultimately comes from a Persian word for a rough skin, and in Europe it became especially associated with stingray and shark leather — a material so distinctive it helped make the word itself feel almost enchanted.
Etymological Timeline
Persian
Persian
sāghar
“rough skin or untanned hide”
Middle Turkish
Turkic
sağrı
“croup or rough horsehide”
French
French
chagrin
“rough-grained leather”
17th Century
English
shagreen
“a rough, pebbled leather made from shark, ray, or horse skin”
Modern English
English
shagreen
“a rough, pebbled leather or skin, especially used decoratively”
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