The story
Coined by British bookbinder Phillip Smith as a clipping of Silmaril, the name of three jewels in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
maril
Today it means: An ornamental binding material with a variegated grain, made from scraps of coloured leather mixed in a resin, compressed, and dried. Full definition →