From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishvellumvel‧lum /ˈveləm/ noun [uncountable] TCNTIa material used for covering books or writing on, made from the skin of young cows, sheep, or goats medieval maps inscribed on vellum
Examples from the Corpus
vellum• The fore-edge painting could, of course, be combined with a vellum or Etruscan calf binding.• In many imposing antique shops you will see stately bookcases full of attractive calf and vellum.• Athelstan immediately closed his eyes and sniffed the sweet odour of fresh scrubbed parchment and vellum.• The thick creamy vellum was covered in a large black scrawl.• But how to wring new information from a few old pieces of vellum and papyrus?• Around the walls were shelves which stretched up to the blackened ceiling, bearing more rolls of vellum.• Originally these bands were made of silk or cotton worked over cord, leather or vellum and fastened inside the spine.• Some of the vellum bound books are nearly 400 years old and have been read by successive generations of Oxford students.Origin vellum (1400-1500) Old French veelin, from veel; → VEAL 