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.