Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared animal skin, usually from sheep, goats, or calves. For thousands of years before paper became common, people wrote important documents, books, and letters on parchment.

Making parchment was skilled work. Craftsmen stretched and scraped the animal skin until it became thin, smooth, and pale, creating a surface that could hold ink beautifully. Unlike regular leather, parchment was processed to be perfect for writing. The finest parchment, made from calfskin, was called vellum and was saved for the most precious books.

Parchment was expensive and valuable, which is why medieval scribes wrote in tiny letters to fit more words on each sheet. When monks copied the Bible by hand, they used parchment that would last for centuries. Many parchment documents from a thousand years ago still exist today, their words still readable, while paper from just a hundred years ago sometimes crumbles to dust.

Today, people still use the word parchment for special certificates and diplomas printed on thick paper that resembles real parchment. When you see an official document with a fancy, aged look, that's paper made to look like parchment, designed to feel important and lasting, just like the real thing once was.