Chamois
/ˈʃæmwɑː/noun
A soft, pliable leather originally made from the skin of the chamois goat-antelope, or the animal itself.
Did you know?English chamois comes through French from a word for the Alpine goat-antelope, and the leather name outlived the animal in everyday speech.
Etymological Timeline
Late 16th Century
French
chamois
“the chamois, an Alpine goat-antelope; later also its leather”
Late 16th Century
Latin
camox
“the chamois (a borrowed or learned form used in medieval/learned contexts)”
Medieval Latin
Frankish/Germanic
*gamuz
“a Germanic source for the animal name, probably referring to the chamois”
Middle English
English
chamoys / chamois
“soft leather made from the skin of the chamois”
Modern English
English
chamois
“soft leather or the animal itself”