'Suede' is French for 'Swedish' — from 'gants de Suede' (Swedish gloves), famed for soft leather.
Definition
Leather with a soft, napped surface, typically made from the underside of the skin of a lamb, goat, pig, or calf.
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French1884well-attested
From French 'gants de Suède' ('gloves of Sweden'), shortened to 'suède.' Sweden was known across Europe for producing exceptionally fine, softleather gloves. The French name 'Suède' for Sweden derives from Middle Latin 'Suetia,' from Old Norse 'Svíþjóð' ('Swede-people'), from 'svíar' ('Swedes' — of debated origin, possibly from PIE *swé- meaning 'one's own people') + 'þjóð' ('people, nation,' from Proto-Germanic
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Sweden itself gets its name from the 'Svear' people, one of two major tribal confederations (the other being the 'Götar' or Geats) who formed the Swedish nation. The name 'Svíþjóð' literally means 'Swede-people' — and this tribal name, filtered through French, became the name of an entire category of leather. Swedes themselves call suede 'mocka,' not 'suede.'
' from the Kashmir region. The word entered English in the 19th century first in the phrase 'suede gloves' before 'suede' became a standalone noun for the material. The phonological reduction from '(gants de) Suède' to simply 'suede' erased the garment type entirely, leaving only the national origin as the word's identity. Key roots: Svíar (Old Norse: "Swedes"), þjóð (Old Norse: "people, nation").