puer

1. (chiefly historical) Dung (of dogs, fowls, etc) used in tanning, after applying lime, to soften skins.Examples: "A solution called the ‘pure’ or the 'pewer' (having never seen the word written.., we must spell it as pronounced) is prepared in a large vessel, and into this the skins are immersed."; "[…] The bacteria of fresh dog-dung were not found to possess a satisfactory puering effect, but those from dung with had been fermented a month (as in practice) have a result nearly equal to actual puer."; "[…] it was about 50 years before the use of puer was discontinued, at least in Europe."historicaluncountable