chamois

American  

[sham-ee, sha-mwah] / ˈʃæm i, ʃaˈmwɑ /

noun

chamoix plural

1. an agile, goatlike antelope, Rupicapra rupicapra, of high mountains of Europe: now rare in some areas.

2. a soft, pliable leather from any of various skins dressed with oil, especially fish oil, originally prepared from the skin of the chamois.

3. a piece of this leather.

4. a cotton cloth finished to simulate this leather.

5. a medium to grayish yellow color.

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verb (used with object)

chamoised, chamoising

1. to dress (a pelt) with oil in order to produce a chamois.

2. to rub or buff with a chamois.

chamois British  

/ ˈʃæmɪ, ʃamwa /

noun

1. a sure-footed goat antelope, Rupicapra rupicapra, inhabiting mountains of Europe and SW Asia, having vertical horns with backward-pointing tips

2. a soft suede leather formerly made from the hide of this animal, now obtained from the skins of sheep and goats

3. Also called: chamois leather.   shammy.   shammy leather.   chammy.   chammy leather.  a piece of such leather or similar material used for polishing, etc

4. 1. a yellow to greyish-yellow colour

   2. (as modifier)

      a chamois stamp

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verb

1. to dress (leather or skin) like chamois

2. to polish with a chamois

Etymology

Origin of chamois

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French, from Late Latin camox, presumably of pre-Latin origin; cf. gems

Example Sentences

He made it his profession at a time when flying meant filtering automobile gasoline through a chamois skin and landing in cotton fields.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

To have a basis for comparing the neanderthal's results, the study also examined other animals from the region, including carnivores like wolves and lynxes and herbivores like rabbits and chamois.

From Salon • Oct. 20, 2022

From Olive & Cocoa, a handcrafted crate holds a fuzzy friend, Lulu the Lamb, and an ivory chamois blanket.

From Seattle Times • May 26, 2021

I give up, but then, as I’m descending, I meet a Haitian boy, maybe 14, who’s loping skyward in a chamois shirt, a scarf and a ski cap, a machete dangling from his belt.

From Washington Post • Mar. 12, 2019

I watched out of the corner of my eyes, but I never slackened the strokes of my chamois upon the brass.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright