What is "tanning"

Tan \Tan\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tanned; p. pr. & vb. n. Tanning.] [F. tanner, LL. tannare. See Tan, n.]

1. To convert (the skin of an animal) into leather, as by usual process of steeping it in an infusion of oak or some other bark, whereby it is impregnated with tannin, or tannic acid (which exists in several species of bark), and is thus rendered firm, durable, and in some degree impervious to water.

   Note: The essential result in tanning is due to the fact that the tannins form, with gelatins and albuminoids, a series of insoluble compounds which constitute leather. Similar results may be produced by the use of other reagents in place of tannin, as alum, and some acids or chlorides, which are employed in certain processes of tanning.

2. To make brown; to imbrown, as by exposure to the rays of the sun; as, to tan the skin.

3. To thrash or beat; to flog; to switch; as, to tan a disobedient child's hide. [Colloq.]

Tanning \Tan"ning\, n. The art or process of converting skins into leather. See Tan, v. t., 1.

late 15c., "process of tanning leather," verbal noun from tan (v.). Intransitive sense "process of getting suntan" is from 1944.

n. 1 The acquisition of a tan, either by exposure to the sun, or artificially. 2 (context informal English) A spanking. vb. 1 (present participle of tan English) 2 The process of making leather, which does not easily decompose, from the skins of animals, which do.

1. adj. of a light yellowish-brown color

2. [also: tanning, tanned, tannest, tanner]

1. n. process in which skin pigmentation darkens as a result of exposure to ultraviolet light

2. beating with a whip or strap or rope as a form of punishment [syn: whipping, flogging, lashing, flagellation]

3. making leather from rawhide

1. n. a browning of the skin resulting from exposure to the rays of the sun [syn: suntan, sunburn, burn]

2. a light brown [syn: topaz]

3. ratio of the opposite to the adjacent side of a right-angled triangle [syn: tangent]

4. [also: tanning, tanned, tannest, tanner]

1. v. treat skins and hides with tannic acid so as to convert them into leather

2. get a tan, from wind or sun [syn: bronze]

3. [also: tanning, tanned, tannest, tanner]

See tan

Tanning is the process of treating skins and hides of animals to produce leather, which is more durable and less susceptible to decomposition. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name (tannin is in turn named after an old German word for oak or fir trees, from which the compound was derived). Coloring may occur during tanning. A tannery is the term for a place where the skins are processed.

Tanning hide into leather involves a process which permanently alters the protein structure of skin. Tanning can be performed with either vegetable or mineral methods. Before tanning, the skins are unhaired, degreased, desalted and soaked in water over a period of 6 hours to 2 days. To prevent damage of the skin by bacterial growth during the soaking period, biocides, typically dithiocarbamates, may be used. Fungicides such as 2-thiocyanomethylthiobenzothiazole may also be added later in the process, to protect wet leathers from mold growth.

In coastal communities around the world there are also traditions of tanning fish skins.

As an alternative to tanning, hides can be dried to produce rawhide rather than leather.

Tanning may refer to:

• Leather tanning, the production of leather from animal skin
• Sun tanning, the act of exposing the skin to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, for the purpose of temporarily darkening skin color, either during sun bathing or using artificial sources, such as tanning beds
• A metaphorical term for physical punishment such as a severe spanking which leaves clear marks (reddening, stripes or even scars) on the beaten skin. An example of this use is shown in verse - Arthur a Bland.