vicuna

Or vi·cu·ña

[vahy-koo-nuh, -kyoo-, vi-, vi-koo-nyuh]

noun

1. a wild South American ruminant, Vicugna vicugna, of the Andes, related to the guanaco but smaller, and yielding a soft, delicate wool: an endangered species, now increasing in numbers.

2. a fabric of this wool or of some substitute, usually twilled and finished with a soft nap.

3. a garment, especially an overcoat, of vicuna.

vicuña

/ vɪˈkjuːnə, vɪˈkuːnjə /

noun

1. a tawny-coloured cud-chewing Andean artiodactyl mammal, Vicugna vicugna, similar to the llama: family Camelidae

2. the fine light cloth made from the wool obtained from this animal

Word History and Origins

Origin of vicuna¹

1585–95; < Spanish vicuña < Quechua wik’uña

Word History and Origins

Origin of vicuna¹

C17: from Spanish vicuña, from Quechuan wikúña

Example Sentences

They are not committed to a two-season cycle, private planes and yachts, sable and vicuna.

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They are about the difference between cashmere and vicuna.

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Johnny Carson left the building in 1987 after an episode with Mr. Trump over a missing vicuna coat: The talk show host accused two Trump employees of stealing it and demanded that they be fired.

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A similar problem has frustrated schemes to breed the vicuna, an Andean wild camel whose wool is prized as the finest and lightest of any animal’s.

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Outfits were prevalently in wool white, melange grey and vicuna beige, dotted with browns, greys, petrol blue a pond green.

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