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mohair

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mo⋅hair

  [moh-hair]
Use mohair in a Sentence
–noun
1. the coat or fleece of an Angora goat.
2. a fabric made of yarn from this fleece, in a plain weave for draperies and in a pile weave for upholstery.
3. a garment made of this fabric.
Origin:
1560–70; var. (by folk etym.) of earlier mocayare < It moccaiaro < Ar mukhayyar lit., chosen, choice, ptp. of khayyara to choose
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Mohair Rovings For Sale
Quality fiber from our Angora goats White kid and adult available
www.walkaboutranch.com
mohair upholstery fabric
Best price $28 supplier from China
www.innovationtextile.com
mo·hair   (mō'hâr')   
n.  

  1. The long silky hair of the Angora goat.

  2. Fabric made with yarn from this hair.


[Alteration (influenced by hair) of obsolete Italian mocaiaro, from Arabic muḫayyar, choice, select, mohair, passive participle of ḫayyara, to prefer, derived stem of ḫāra, to choose; see ḫyr in Semitic roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

mohair 
1570, "fine hair of the Angora goat," also "a fabric made from this," from M.Fr. mocayart, It. mocaiarro, both from Arabic mukhayyar "cloth of goat hair," lit. "selected, choice," from khayyana "he chose." Spelling infl. in Eng. by association with hair. Moire "watered silk" (1660) probably represents Eng. mohair borrowed into Fr. and back into English.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

mohair

animal-hair fibre obtained from the Angora goat (see ) and a significant so-called specialty hair fibre. The word mohair is derived from the Arabic mukhayyar ("goat's hair fabric"), which became mockaire in medieval times. Mohair is one of the oldest textile fibres, produced exclusively in Turkey for thousands of years, achieving importance in European textile manufacture during the 19th century. In the mid-1800s herds of common goats in southern Africa and the southwestern United States were upgraded by the importation of Angora sires.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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