alpaca

[ al-pak-uh ]

noun

1. a domesticated South American ruminant, Lama pacos, having long, soft, silky fleece, related to the llama and believed to be a variety of the guanaco.
2. the fleece of this animal.
3. a fabric or yarn made of it.
4. a glossy, commonly black woolen fabric with cotton warp.
5. a crepe fabric made of rayon and acetate yarn in imitation of alpaca wool cloth.

alpaca

¹

/ ælˈpækə /

noun

1. a type of nickel silver used in jewellery

alpaca

²

/ ælˈpækə /

noun

1. a domesticated cud-chewing artiodactyl mammal, Lama pacos, closely related to the llama and native to South America: family Camelidae. Its dark shaggy hair is a source of wool
2. the cloth made from the wool of this animal
3. a glossy fabric simulating this, used for linings, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of alpaca¹

1805–15; < Spanish < Aymara allpaqa

Word History and Origins

Origin of alpaca¹

of uncertain origin

Origin of alpaca²

C18: via Spanish from Aymara allpaca

Example Sentences

Your hosts, Rob and Donna, live and work on the property and are happy to give you a tour of their ranch, where they raise alpaca and turn the animals’ fiber into yarn.

From Outside Online

While llamas and alpacas can be found in every state, their populations are largely concentrated in Arizona and the Pacific Northwest.

From Popular-Science

Male llamas are bred with female alpacas to increase the wool’s weight.

From Popular-Science

After the Spanish took control of the Inca empire in the 1540s, Spanish rulers viewed llamas and alpacas as beasts of burden or sources of meat.

From No Straight News

These came from large animals, such as Andean deer and wild relatives of the alpaca.

From Science News For Students

At least 50,000 families in the Andean highlands rely on herding alpaca for income and to sustain themselves.

From The Daily Beast

Peruvians have been wearing knits made of alpaca fiber for centuries.

From The Daily Beast

And it was fur of every variety: brushed mohair, alpaca, ponyhair, and astrakhan.

From The Daily Beast

His right hand rested on his gavel, he thrust his left into the side pocket of his long alpaca coat.

From Project Gutenberg

One good moreen skirt did me, with a quilted alpaca for every-day wear and two white ones for best.

From Project Gutenberg

And black silk for Sundays, and a black merino or alpaca for week-days, made short and full, was her unvarying costume.

From Project Gutenberg

You may flit from brown merino to blue poplin, and from blue poplin to black alpaca, and be queen of all that is tiresome still.

From Project Gutenberg

I heard him trying to render the stock phrases of Low Church piety into French for the benefit of the stolid man in grey alpaca.

From Project Gutenberg

Alpaca Vs. Llama

What’s the difference between alpacas and llamas?

Alpacas and llamas are closely-related animals, and they look similar, but they are two different species.

They have a lot in common. Both the alpaca and the llama are thought to be domesticated varieties of the wild South American animal known as the guanaco. They are both ruminant animals—hoofed, four-legged mammals that eat grass and other plants. And they both belong to the genus Lama and to the family that also includes camels.

So how are they different?

Alpacas are smaller, with shorter ears. They are much fluffier than llamas, with fuzzy “bangs” that can partly hide their eyes. Their coats are very soft and silky, and they’re usually raised for their fleece, which is used to make very soft yarn or fabric.

Llamas are bigger. They’re known for their strength, endurance, and high thirst tolerance. For this reason, they’re often used as work animals to carry things over long distances.

So, the best way to tell the difference is by size and fluffiness. If it looks big and strong, like it can carry a lot of stuff, it’s probably a llama. If it’s smaller and fluffier, and its fleece looks like it could be used to make really soft mittens, it’s probably an alpaca.

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between alpacas and llamas.

Quiz yourself on alpacas vs. llamas!

True or False? 

Alpacas and llamas are completely unrelated.