What does parchment mean?
Word: Parchment
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Parchment means a thick writing material used long ago, or a heavy paper made to look like it.
Word origin: From Old French parchemin, from Latin pergamena.
How do you spell parchment?
Syllables: parch - ment
Tricky part: The 'ch' sound after the r leads students to slip in a t and write partchment, the way catch and match are spelt.
Watch out for: partchment, pachment, parshment
Memory tip: March and arch never need a t before their ch, and this word follows them.
Parchment in a sentence
Example 1: The invitation was printed on cream paper made to look like parchment.
Example 2: The old map in the library is drawn on a sheet of brown parchment.
Example 3: In the palace museum we saw a royal order on faded parchment.
Fun Fact
Magna Carta, the famous English charter of 1215, was written in Latin on parchment, and four copies of it from that year survive.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
parch______
a) ment
b) meant
c) mint
d) mant
Show answer
a) ment. It takes the common noun ending found in payment and treatment.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Parchment goes back to Latin pergamena. That word comes from the name of ___.
a) a river in ancient Egypt
b) a king of ancient Persia
c) a city in what is now Turkey
d) a mountain in northern Greece
Show answer
c) a city in what is now Turkey. The ancient city of Pergamum was famous for its fine writing material, which took the city's name.
Word Tally
Give 3 marks for each misspelt word. How many marks does the list earn?
parchment, quil, inkwell, calligrafy, manuscript
a) 12
b) 6
c) 3
d) 9
Show answer
b) 6. Quill needs two l letters and calligraphy takes ph, so two are wrong and 2 x 3 = 6.
Sound Check
In which word is 'ch' pronounced differently?
a) orchid
b) merchant
c) parchment
d) orchard
Show answer
a) orchid. In orchid the ch says k; in the other three it is the sound of chin.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why would a scribe in the Middle Ages have treated a sheet of parchment with great care?
a) it faded after a single reading
b) it could be used only once a year
c) it was costly and slow to prepare
d) it gave off a very strong smell
Show answer
c) it was costly and slow to prepare
2. If a birthday card feels like parchment, what is it probably like?
a) thin, shiny and clear
b) rough, heavy and metallic
c) soft, wet and stretchy
d) dry, stiff and papery
Show answer
d) dry, stiff and papery
