Karakul

American  

[kar-uh-kuhl] / ˈkær ə kəl /

Or caracul

noun

(sometimes lowercase)

1. one of an Asian breed of sheep having curly fleece that is black in the young and brown or gray in the adult: raised especially for lambskins used in the fur industry.

2. (sometimes lowercase) a Karakul lambskin.

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karakul British  

/ ˈkærəkəl /

noun

1. a breed of sheep of central Asia having coarse black, grey, or brown hair: the lambs have soft curled usually black hair

2. the fur prepared from these lambs

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Etymology

Origin of Karakul

First recorded in 1850–55; after Kara Kul lake on the Pamir plateau, Tajikistan, near where the sheep were bred

Example Sentences

When we reached a pasture between snow-capped mountains and saw Karakul Lake glittering in the distance, we got off.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 15, 2018

“You talk about third world countries? We’re not that far behind here, with the circumstances that people have to live in,” said Mr. Karakul, a former lawyer.

From New York Times • Jul. 17, 2016

There are also sizable deposits of copper, lead and uranium, while the huge herds of Karakul sheep are prized for Persian lamb coats.

From Time Magazine Archive

There was a big picture of a bearded man in a woolen Karakul hat on the cover.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai