First Known Use: 1560
Dictionary
chamois
noun cham·ois \ˈsha-mē, sense 1 also sham-ˈwä\
: a small animal that looks like a goat and that lives on mountains in Europe and western Asia
: soft leather that is made from the skin of goats, sheep, or chamois
: a piece of chamois used especially for cleaning windows and cars
plural cham·ois also cham·oix \sense 1 ˈsha-mē(z) or sham-ˈwä(z), senses 2 & 3 ˈsha-mēz\
Full Definition of CHAMOIS
1
: a small goatlike bovid (Rupicapra rupicapra) of mountainous regions from southern Europe to the Caucasus
2
also cham·my or sham·my \ˈsha-mē\ : a soft pliant leather prepared from the skin of the chamois or from sheepskin
3
: a cotton fabric made in imitation of chamois leather
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Origin of CHAMOIS
Middle French, from Late Latin camox
Rhymes with CHAMOIS
aba, Accra, aha, Allah, amah, Armagh, Artois, ayah, Bekaa, bourgeois, brava, Chechnya, Chita, chutzpah, compas, Degas, dolma, Dubois, Dunois, éclat, fa la, faux pas, fellah, Fermat, feta, foie gras, gaga, galah, Galois, goombah, grandma, grandpa, ha-ha, halvah, Hama, hoo-ha, hoopla, Hsia, hurrah, huzzah, Konya, Makah, Marat, markka, Maurois, mirepoix, mudra, Oita, oompah, opah, Oujda, quinoa, paisa, pasha, patois, pooh-bah, prutah, pya, Sanaa, sangfroid, selah, Seurat, Shema, Shoah, sol-fa, supra, Syrah, ta-ta, tola, Tonghua, Ufa, Utah, Vaudois, viva, voilà, wah-wah, whoopla
CHAMOIS Defined for Kids
chamois
noun cham·ois \ˈsha-mē\
plural cham·ois \-mē, -mēz\
Definition of CHAMOIS for Kids
1
: a goatlike animal of the mountains of Europe and Asia
2
: a soft yellowish leather made from the skin of the chamois or from sheepskin
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