mohair
UK /ˈməʊhɛə/ · US /ˈmoʊhɛɹ/ noun
Forms mohairs
- noun Yarn or fabric made from the hair of the angora goat, often as mixed with cotton or other materials.
- noun The long, fine hair of the Angora goat.
- noun An Angora goat. “mohair goat, mohair kid”
Etymology
Earlier mocayre, from Middle French mocayart and Italian mocaiardo, mocaiarro, both from Arabic مُخَيَّر (muḵayyar, “choice”), past participle of خَيَّرَ (ḵayyara, “to choose”). Form influenced by hair through folk etymology. Doublet of moire; compare mockado.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The long silky hair or wool of the Angora goat of Asia Minor; also, a fabric made from this material, or an imitation of such fabric.
Etymology [F. moire, perh. from Ar. mukhayyar a kind of coarse camelot or haircloth; but prob. fr. L. marmoreus of marble, resembling marble. Cf. Moire, Marble.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “mohair”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details