chamois

cham·ois

noun \ˈsha-mē, sense 1 also sham-ˈwä\

plural cham·ois also cham·oix \sense 1 ˈsha-mē(z) or sham-ˈwä(z), senses 2 & 3 ˈsha-mēz\

Definition of CHAMOIS

1

: a small goatlike bovid (Rupicapra rupicapra) of mountainous regions from southern Europe to the Caucasus

2

also cham·my or sham·my \ˈsha-mē\ : a soft pliant leather prepared from the skin of the chamois or from sheepskin

3

: a cotton fabric made in imitation of chamois leather

Examples of CHAMOIS

1. a bucket of water and a chamois

Origin of CHAMOIS

Middle French, from Late Latin camox

First Known Use: 1560

Other Fur and Leather Terms

fell, kip

Rhymes with CHAMOIS

aba, Accra, aha, Allah, amah, Armagh, Artois, ayah, Bekaa, bourgeois, brava, Chechnya, Chita, chutzpah, compas, Degas, dolma, Dubois, Dunois, éclat, fa la, faux pas, fellah, Fermat, feta, foie gras, gaga, galah, Galois, goombah, grandma, grandpa, ha-ha, halvah, Hama, hoo-ha, hoopla, Hsia, hurrah, huzzah, Konya, Makah, Marat, markka, Maurois, mirepoix, mudra, Oita, oompah, opah, Oujda, quinoa, paisa, pasha, patois, pooh-bah, prutah, pya, Sanaa, sangfroid, selah, Seurat, Shema, Shoah, sol-fa, supra, Syrah, ta-ta, tola, Tonghua, Ufa, Utah, Vaudois, viva, voilà, wah-wah, whoopla