Illustration of karakul
- karakul 1
karakul
noun
kar·a·kul
ˈker-ə-kəl 
ˈka-rə-
1
often capitalized
: any of a breed of hardy fat-tailed sheep of central Asian origin with a narrow body and coarse wiry fur
2
: the usually curly glossy black coat of a very young karakul lamb valued as fur compare broadtail sense 2, persian lamb sense 1
Examples of karakul in a Sentence
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In their place are elderly, ultra-Orthodox Jews wearing black overcoats and fedoras; south and central Asians with traditional karakul hats; and gaggles of merchants shouting in languages from across the world.
—
Barak Richman, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Jan. 2020
Most fur-bearing animals have never been domesticated, which makes raising a fox for the trim of a parka inherently crueler than aborting a karakul lamb for a wool cap, animal rights activists say.
—Glendale News-Press, 29 Aug. 2019
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Barak Richman, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Jan. 2020
Most fur-bearing animals have never been domesticated, which makes raising a fox for the trim of a parka inherently crueler than aborting a karakul lamb for a wool cap, animal rights activists say.
—Glendale News-Press, 29 Aug. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Karakul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/karakul. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
karakul
noun
kar·a·kul
ˈkar-ə-kəl
1
often capitalized
: any of a breed of hardy Asian sheep with coarse fur
2
: the usually curly glossy black coat of a young karakul lamb valued as fur
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