chamois

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: cham=ois

CIDE DICTIONARY

chamois, n. [F. chamois, prob. fr. OG. gamz, G. gemse.].

•  A small species of antelope (Rupicapra tragus), living on the loftiest mountain ridges of Europe, as the Alps, Pyrenees, etc. It possesses remarkable agility, and is a favorite object of chase.  [1913 Webster]
•  A soft leather made from the skin of the chamois, or from sheepskin, etc.; -- called also chamois leather, and chammy or shammy leather. See Shammy.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

chamois, n. (pl. same)
1 an agile goat antelope, Rupicapra rupicapra, native to the mountains of Europe and Asia.
2 (in full chamois leather) a soft pliable leather from sheep, goats, deer, etc. b a piece of this for polishing etc.

Etymology

F: cf. Gallo-Roman camox

ROGET THESAURUS

chamois

Leap

N leap, jump, hop, spring, bound, vault, saltation, ance, caper, curvet, caracole, gambade, gambado, capriole, demivolt, buck, buck jump, hop skip and jump, falcade, kangaroo, jerboa, chamois, goat, frog, grasshopper, flea, buckjumper, wallaby, leaping, saltatory, frisky, on the light fantastic toe, di salto in salto.