# leatherman

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #79,698

## Definitions
1. A member of a homosexual male subculture that grew out of male-only motorcycle clubs formed by homosexual veterans returning from World War II, stressing masculinity in contradiction to androgynous and effeminate gay stereotypes, characterized by a fetish for leather gear and clothing, a sense of hierarchy, and a fraternal, militaristic code of protocol and behavior, often involving BDSM practices.
2. A male leather dealer, leatherworker, or tanner.

## Etymology
From leather + man. In the gay subculture sense, since the mid-twentieth century. In the leather dealer sense, since centuries earlier; archaic today.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/leatherman