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Mohair entered the English language in the 16th century, spelled variously as "mocayare," "mockaire," "mokayre," and "moochary." It was borrowed from Italian mocaiarro, a word which itself was borrowed from Arabic mukhayyar. The adjective mukhayyar meant "select" or "choice." How this Arabic adjective came to be the English noun "mohair" is a bit of a mystery. It is possible that "mukhayyar" was used as a colloquial noun in the sense of "wool of prime quality" (that is, "choice wool"). In English, the shift from "mocayare" and similar spellings to "mohair" was likely influenced by the more familiar English word hair.
Examples of mohair in a Sentence
Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2025
The actress wore the Nipple Coat from the brand, made of navy brushed wool and mohair.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2025
Winfrey arrived in a Brunello Cucinelli silk skirt with beautiful feather embroidery, a poplin top, mohair blazer and a silk tie with feathers that matched her skirt.
—Paul Chi, Vogue, 6 Dec. 2024
Main exports include clothing, diamonds, water, power, wool and mohair.
—Michelle Gumede and Mogomotsi Magome, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Mohair.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mohair. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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mohair
noun
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