chamois
noun
1ˈʃamwɑː (plural same /ˈʃamwɑːz/) An agile goat-antelope with short hooked horns, found in mountainous areas of Europe from Spain to the Caucasus.
- Genus Rupicapra, family Bovidae: two species.
- Two important national symbols are the linden tree and the chamois, a European antelope, both of which are abundant throughout the country.
- Feeding mainly on small ungulates - roe deer, chamois and musk deer - lynx are capable of killing prey three to four times their own size, and in some parts of their range, they take large ungulates, including red deer and reindeer.
2ˈʃamiˈʃamwɑː (plural same /ˈʃamɪz/ /ˈʃamwɑːz/) (also British chamois leather) [mass noun] A type of soft pliable leather now made from sheepskin or lambskin.Yes, it's like thick chamois leather, very tough and it's nothing like the sort of stuff that you have on the chicken breast out of that frozen chicken or anything like that, which seems to tear in your hand....
- These techniques give walls the dramatic effect of crushed velvet, parchment, chamois leather, watered silk or brocade.
- ‘Lightweight means T-shirt weight up through twills, and possibly some chamois and micro suede,’ Maser says.
2.1 [count noun] A piece of chamois leather, used for washing windows or cars.They tell us the trick to clean windows is a good-quality chamois....
- The second car is also clean and tidy but the owner has taken a chamois to the windows, polished the exterior, used a light, pleasant air freshener inside.
- Peer through windows that last saw a chamois when George Formby was leaning on a lamppost at The Winter Gardens.
Origin
Mid 16th century: from French, of unknown ultimate origin.