vicuna
or vi·cu·ña
a wild South American ruminant, Vicugna vicugna, of the Andes, related to the guanaco but smaller, and yielding a soft, delicate wool: an endangered species, now increasing in numbers.
a fabric of this wool or of some substitute, usually twilled and finished with a soft nap.
a garment, especially an overcoat, of vicuna.
Origin of vicuna
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use vicuna in a sentence
The neigh of the vicuña, like that of the other animals of its class, resembles a short, sharp whistle.
The flesh of the vicuña is more tender and better flavored than that of the llama.
In the present day the “ricos,” or rich proprietors of Peru, pride themselves in possessing ponchos of vicuña wool.
Popular Adventure Tales | Mayne ReidSo peculiar is it, that in Peru the ‘Colour de vicuña’ (vicuña colour) has become a specific name.
The Hunters' Feast | Mayne ReidA soft wool cloth of the cheviot order, with teasled face, made from the wool of the vicuña, a South American animal.
Textiles | William H. Dooley
British Dictionary definitions for vicuña
vicuna (vɪˈkjuːnə)
/ (vɪˈkuːnjə) /
a tawny-coloured cud-chewing Andean artiodactyl mammal, Vicugna vicugna, similar to the llama: family Camelidae
the fine light cloth made from the wool obtained from this animal
Origin of vicuña
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse