mohair
Americannoun
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the coat or fleece of an Angora goat.
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a fabric made of yarn from this fleece, in a plain weave for draperies and in a pile weave for upholstery.
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a garment made of this fabric.
noun
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Also called: angora. the long soft silky hair that makes up the outer coat of the Angora goat
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a fabric made from the yarn of this hair and cotton or wool
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( as modifier )
a mohair suit
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Etymology
Origin of mohair
1560–70; variant (by folk etymology) of earlier mocayare < Italian moccaiaro < Arabic mukhayyar literally, chosen, choice, past participle of khayyara to choose
Explanation
Mohair is a fiber, yarn, or fabric that's made from an angora goat's hair. Sweaters and blankets made of mohair are extremely soft and silky (AND expensive). Mohair is known for being soft to the touch, as well as having a little bit of a shine. It's most often blended with wool to make yarn for knitting, and the result is a warm, sturdy, and glossy knit fabric. Things made from mohair tend to be more expensive than those made of ordinary wool. The word has an Arabic root, mukhayyar, "cloth of goat hair."
Vocabulary lists containing mohair
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Two weeks before the show, young seamstresses were crocheting floral motifs in mohair and Japanese metallic thread at a south London studio overlooking the Thames river and Big Ben.
From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026
And I had this cardigan on, which was full of mohair, so it was in my throat, in my nose, in my eyes, and it started to affect my voice.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025
The next morning, I wandered into a local yarn store called The Dropped Stitch and found myself petting skeins of mohair in colors with edible names: “tarragon,” “licorice,” “pumpkin spice.”
From Salon • Nov. 4, 2025
Livestock from Argentina, Iceland, Norway, and more produce distinctly varied types of wool, from merino to lambswool, cashmere to mohair.
From Slate • Sep. 2, 2025
Amid this confusion, porters darted everywhere, loading boats with tobacco, figs, frankincense, silk, and mohair.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
