chamois

[ sham-ee; French sha-mwah ]
/ ˈʃæm i; French ʃaˈmwɑ /

noun, plural cham·ois, cham·oix [sham-eez; French sha-mwah] /ˈʃæm iz; French ʃaˈmwɑ/.

verb (used with object), cham·oised [sham-eed] /ˈʃæm id/, cham·ois·ing [sham-ee-ing] /ˈʃæm i ɪŋ/.

to dress (a pelt) with oil in order to produce a chamois.
to rub or buff with a chamois.
Also chammy, shammy, shamoy (for defs 2–4, 6, 7).

Origin of chamois

1525–35; < Middle French < Late Latin camox, presumably of pre-Latin orig.; cf. gems

Example sentences from the Web for chamois

British Dictionary definitions for chamois

chamois
/ (ˈʃæmɪ, French ʃamwa) /

noun plural -ois

(ˈʃæmwɑː) a sure-footed goat antelope, Rupicapra rupicapra, inhabiting mountains of Europe and SW Asia, having vertical horns with backward-pointing tips
a soft suede leather formerly made from the hide of this animal, now obtained from the skins of sheep and goats
Also called: chamois leather, shammy, shammy leather, chammy, chammy leather (ˈʃæmɪ) a piece of such leather or similar material used for polishing, etc
(ˈʃæmwɑː)
  1. a yellow to greyish-yellow colour
  2. (as modifier)a chamois stamp

verb (tr)

to dress (leather or skin) like chamois
to polish with a chamois

Word Origin for chamois

C16: from Old French, from Late Latin camox of uncertain origin