Definition of "parchment"

parchment

/ˈpɑːtʃmənt/

noun
countable and uncountable, plural parchments
1. Material, made from the polished skin of a calf, sheep, goat or other animal, used like paper for writing.
  Quotations
  At twilight in the summer there is never anybody to fear—man, woman, or cat—in the chambers and at that hour the mice come out. They do not eat parchment or foolscap or red tape, but they eat the luncheon crumbs.
  1892, Walter Besant, chapter II, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […]
  Never found Hattie and they never found the shackNever made the trip back inThere was a parchment note they found tacked to a stumpSaid: Don't come lookin' again.
  1973, “Swamp Witch”, in Jim Stafford (lyrics), Jim Stafford, performed by Jim Stafford
2. A document made on such material.
3. A diploma (traditionally written on parchment).
4. Stiff paper imitating that material.
5. The creamy to tanned color of parchment.
6. The envelope of the coffee grains, inside the pulp.