chammy
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Related to chammy: chammy leather
cham·ois
(shăm′wä′, shăm′wä′, shăm′ē)n. pl. cham·ois (shăm′wä′, shăm′wä′, shăm′ēz)
1. Either of two species of agile goat antelopes (Rupicapra rupicapra or R. pyrenaica) of mountainous regions of Europe and western Asia, having upright horns with backward-hooked tips.
2. (shăm′ē) also cham·my or sham·my pl. cham·mies
a. A soft leather made from the hide of these antelopes or of other animals such as deer or sheep.
b. A piece of such leather or of a fabric or material made to resemble it, used as a polishing or drying cloth or in shirts.
3. (shăm′wä′, shăm′wä′, shăm′ē) A moderate to grayish yellow.
[French, from Middle French, from Old French, from Late Latin camōx, of pre-Roman Alpine origin and perhaps ultimately from Celtic *kambo-, crooked (in reference to the hooked horns of the chamois; compare Old Irish and Middle Welsh camm, crooked).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
chammy
(ˈʃæmɪ)n, pl -mies
informal a piece of chamois leather used for polishing
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
cham•ois
(ˈʃæm i; for 1 also ʃæmˈwɑ)n., pl. cham•ois, cham•oix (ˈʃæm iz; for 1 also ʃæmˈwɑ) n.
1. an agile goat antelope, Rupicapra rupicapra, of high mountains of Europe.
2. a soft, pliable leather from any of various skins dressed with oil.
3. a piece of this leather.
4. a cotton cloth simulating this leather.
v.t. 5. to dress (a pelt) to produce chamois.
6. to rub or buff with a chamois.
Also, chammy , shammy (for defs. 2–4, 6, 7). [1525–35; < Middle French < Late Latin camox]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
chammy
Past participle: chammied
Gerund: chammying
| Imperative |
|---|
| chammy |
| chammy |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. |  chammy - a soft suede leather formerly from the skin of the chamois antelope but now from sheepskinleather - an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning wash leather - piece of chamois used for cleaning and polishing |
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Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005