Parchment

(pahrtch'ment.) [Fr. par chem in.] (Arts.) (Manuf.) The skins of sheep or goats, prepared in such a manner as to render them proper for writing upon. Vellum is a similar preparation from the skins of calves, kids, and lambs. The P. used for drums is obtained from the skin of a es, calves, and wolves: that for battledoors from the skin of a es, and that for sieves from the skin of goats. P. is made by preparing the skins as if for tanning; shaving down and pum icing them; then stretching and carefully drying them. When intended for the bookbinder, it is sometimes dyed green with verdigris. The use of P. is very ancient; the Hebrews had books written on the skins of animals in David's time, and Hero dot us relates that the Ionians, from the earliest period,wrote upon goat-and sheep-skin, from which the hair had been merely scraped off.- VEGETABLE P. is a tough and durable paper po e ing many of the qualities of P., prepared by immersing ordinary un sized paper for a short time in strong sulphuric acid, and [s. 684]