The Collaborative International Dictionary
Chamois \Cham"ois\ (sh[a^]m"m[y^] or sh[.a]*moi"; 277), n. [F. chamois, prob. fr. OG. gamz, G. gemse.]
(Zo["o]l.) A small species of antelope ( Rupicapra tragus), living on the loftiest mountain ridges of Europe, as the Alps, Pyrenees, etc. It possesses remarkable agility, and is a favorite object of chase.
A soft leather made from the skin of the chamois, or from sheepskin, etc.; -- called also chamois leather, and chammy or shammy leather. See Shammy.
Wiktionary
n. A soft suede leather, originally from the antelope but now made from sheepskin, used in cleaning and polishing.
WordNet
n. a soft suede leather formerly from the sheep of the chamois antelope but now from sheepskin [syn: chamois, chammy, chammy leather, shammy, shammy leather]
Wikipedia
Chamois leather (British pronunciation: or American pronunciation: ) — sometimes known as a wash-leather or by the trade name "Shammy" — is a type of porous leather, traditionally the skin of the chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), a type of European mountain goat. The leather is favored for its gentle, non-abrasive composition and absorption properties. It has a range of uses:
- Gloves in the 19th to the first half of the 20th century
- Leather jackets, small bags, and pouches
- Polishing cloths for jewels or shoes
- Filtering fuel
- Automotive drying material that is safe on acrylic, lacquer, enamel, and polyurethane paints and clear-coats
- Grips on sporting gear — chamois grips are used in field hockey and golf.
- General household cleaning
- Orthopedics and other medical uses
Imitation chamois leather is made using other leathers (such as the domestic goat, sheep or pig), and synthetic chamois leather is usually made from polyvinyl alcohol or non-woven viscose rayon.
Usage examples of "chamois leather".
I unscrewed the whole bottom off the can, and from a nest of cotton wool a chamois leather pouch fell out into my hand.
The hilt was sawfish hide, good for a grip, even with the fingerless chamois leather gloves her father insisted she wearif she was to have a personal trainer at all.
He sat down immediately afterwards in the arm - chair behind the table, looked from one to the other of his guests and then leaned briskly forward, his hands, in bright yellow gloves of chamois leather, clasped lightly in front of him.
He was wearing goggles now, continuously brushing away snow and moisture with a chamois leather, but the view ahead--or lack of view remained obstinately the same, still that greyly driving snow looming out of and vanishing into that greyly impenetrable opacity, still nothingness.
By that time they'd managed to wheedle a chamois leather from Southwick and sewn it into a small, fiat pad.
From their chamois leather case, he produced a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles and placed them on his nose.
Then he put the oilskin package in his pocket and tossed the chamois leather bag on to the bed.