cashmere
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Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈkæʃ.mɪə/, /kæʃˈmɪə/ (UK); /kæʒˈmiɹ/, /ˈkæʒ.miɹ/ (US)[1]
Etymology
It is named after Cashmere, an older spelling of Kashmir,[2][3][4][5][6] the Himalayan region where the wool was obtained from long-haired goats.[3][4]
Earliest recorded meaning
A shawl made of cashmere wool (1684).[3][5]
Semantic evolution
The shawl sense came first;[3] Etymonline dates it to 1822 and the material to 1839, as short for Cashmere wool.[4] The name was also applied to woollen fabric made in France and England in imitation of the real thing (1822).[7] Today it means chiefly the fine wool itself and soft fabrics or yarns made from it.[2][5][6] Random House dates the word to 1815–25.[6]
Timeline
- 1684 – a cashmere shawl (Barnhart, Merriam-Webster).[3][5]
- 1822 – an imitation woollen fabric, and a shawl in Etymonline.[7][4]
- 1839 – the fabric, short for Cashmere wool.[4]
Modern meaning
Noun
- Fine, soft wool from the undercoat of the cashmere goat.
- A soft fabric or yarn made of this wool or a similar fiber.
- A garment, especially a shawl, made of cashmere.
Related words
- Kashmir
- kerseymere
- pashmina
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
- ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
- ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press