chagrin

Meanings

Distress of mind caused by a failure of aims or plans, want of appreciation, mistakes etc; vexation or mortification.
A type of leather or skin with a rough surface.

From French chagrin, from Middle French chagrin (compare Middle French chagriner, chagrigner, Old French chagrin), probably derived from Old Northern French chagreiner, chagraigner, of uncertain origin. Likely an enlargement of Old French greignier, graignier, from Old French graigne, from graim, related to Old High German gram. The initial syllable is obscure. It may represent Old French chat to express the idea of "lamenting or yowling like cats" (compare German Katzenjammer, katzbalgen).
An alternative theory is that it came from a metaphorical use of French chagrin, peau de chagrain, with the connection of roughness, though some dictionaries consider this to be a separate word derived from Old French peau de sagrin, from Ottoman Turkish sağrı. The alteration of initial s to ch is likely due to influence from chagrin meaning "sorrow".

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