16 December 2024

Word for the day: fellmonger


This week I've been watching One Hundred Years of Solitude;  in a recent episode a character was described as a "fellmonger," so I had to look it up.
A fellmonger was a dealer in hides or skins, particularly sheepskins, who might also prepare skins for tanning. The name is derived from the Old English ‘fell’ meaning skins and ‘monger’ meaning dealer. Fellmongery is one of the oldest professions in the world and since ancient times, humans have used the skins of animals to clothe themselves, and for making domestic articles.
Those interested in exploring the subject matter more fully (including details of the technique and equipment) can tackle this (very)longread in the internet archive Wayback Machine.

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