Wiktionary

chamois

English

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Middle French chamois, from Late Latin camox, from Gaulish camox (5th c. AD, Polemius Silvius), probably from an extinct Alpine language (Raetic, Ancient Ligurian), possibly Proto-Indo-European *kem- (“without horns”). Compare also Old High German gamiza (“chamois”) (whence modern German Gämse).

Pronunciation

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  • Of the color sense (both nominal and adjectival) and of the sense concerning leather (in the singular):
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Noun

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Rupicapra rupicapra (1)

chamois (countable and uncountable, plural chamoises or chamois)

  1. A short-horned goat antelope native to mountainous terrain in southern Europe; Rupicapra rupicapra.
  2. Short for chamois leather (“soft pliable leather originally made from the skin of chamois (nowadays the hides of deer, sheep, and other species of goat are alternatively used)”).
  3. The traditional colour of chamois leather.
    chamois:  
  4. An absorbent cloth used for cleaning and polishing, formerly made of chamois leather.
    • 1926, Louise de Koven Bowen, Growing Up with a City, University of Illinois Press, →ISBN, page 39:
      I took them, breathed on them, polished them with a chamois and hung them on the chandelier.
    • 1984, Cruising World, page 158:
      Mirrors can be cleaned with warm water and ammonia or vinegar and polished with a chamois.
    • 1989, Popular Mechanics, page 146:
      Once your paint has been restored, drying your car with a chamois is just about all you have to do to restore the luster.
  5. (cycling) A padded insert which protects the groin from the bicycle saddle.

Alternative forms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Adjective

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chamois (not comparable)

  1. Chamois-colored.

Verb

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chamois (third-person singular simple present chamoises, present participle chamoising, simple past and past participle chamoised)

  1. (transitive) To clean with a chamois leather cloth.
    Synonym: shammy

See also

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References

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  • Roberts, Edward A. (2014) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language with Families of Words based on Indo-European Roots, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN

Anagrams

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French

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Etymology

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Inherited from Middle French chamois, from Late Latin camox, from Gaulish camox (5th c. AD, Polemius Silvius), probably from an extinct Alpine language (Raetic, Ancient Ligurian), possibly Proto-Indo-European *kem- (“without horns”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ʃa.mwa/
  • Audio (France):(file)

Noun

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chamois m (plural chamois)

  1. chamois (animal)
  2. chamois (leather)

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → Esperanto: ĉamo
  • → Romanian: chamois, șamoa
  • → Spanish: chamuz

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from French chamois.

Noun

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chamois n (uncountable)

  1. chamois leather

Declension

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singular only indefinite definite
nominative-accusative chamois chamoisul
genitive-dative chamois chamoisului
vocative chamoisule
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