Sha*green", n. [F. chagrin, It. zigrino, fr. Turk. saghri the back of a
horse or other beast of burden, shagreen. Cf. Chagrin.] 1. A kind of
untanned leather prepared in Russia and the East, from the skins of
horses, asses, and camels, and grained so as to be covered with small
round granulations. This characteristic surface is produced by pressing
small seeds into the grain or hair side when moist, and afterward, when
dry, scraping off the roughness left between them, and then, by
soaking, causing the portions of the skin which had been compressed or
indented by the seeds to swell up into relief. It is used for covering
small cases and boxes.
2. The skin of various small sharks and other fishes when having small,
rough, bony scales. The dogfishes of the genus Scyllium furnish a large
part of that used in the arts.
{ Sha*green" (?), Sha*greened" (?) } a. 1. Made or covered with the
leather called shagreen. "A shagreen case of lancets." T. Hook.