chamois

UK: English: /ˈʃæmi/, French: /ˈʃæmwɑː/

US: /ˈʃæmi; for the animal also ʃæmˈwɑ/

US: (sham′ē; Fr. sha mwä′)

Inflections of 'chamois' (n):

chamois

npl

chamoix

npl (US)

Inflections of 'chamois' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

chamoises

v 3rd person singular

chamoising

v pres p

chamoised

v past

chamoised

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

cham•ois /ˈʃæmi; for 1. also ʃæmˈwɑ/   n., pl. cham•ois, cham•oix /ˈʃæmiz; for 1. also ʃæmˈwɑ/  

1. Mammals [countable] a small antelope much like a goat, of the high mountains of Europe.
2. Clothing [uncountable] a soft, pliable leather from various animal skins dressed with oil.
3. Clothing [countable] a piece of this leather.

Also, shammy  (for defs. 2–4. 6, 7. in Unabridged dictionary).

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

cham•ois  (sham′ē; Fr. sha mwä′), n., pl. cham•ois, cham•oix (sham′ēz; Fr. sha mwä′), v., cham•oised  (sham′ēd), cham•ois•ing (sham′ē ing).

 

n. 

1. Mammals an agile, goatlike antelope, Rupicapra rupicapra, of high mountains of Europe: now rare in some areas.
2. Clothing a soft, pliable leather from any of various skins dressed with oil, esp. fish oil, originally prepared from the skin of the chamois.
3. Clothing a piece of this leather.
4. Textiles a cotton cloth finished to simulate this leather.
5. a medium to grayish yellow color.

v.t. 

6. Clothing to dress (a pelt) with oil in order to produce a chamois.
7. to rub or buff with a chamois.

Also, chammy, shammy, shamoy (for defs. 2–4, 6, 7).

• Late Latin camox, presumably of pre-Latin origin, originally; compare gems
• Middle French
• 1525–35

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

chamois / ˈʃæmɪ ʃamwa/ noun ( -ois)

1. / ˈʃæmwɑː/ a sure-footed goat antelope, Rupicapra rupicapra, inhabiting mountains of Europe and SW Asia, having vertical horns with backward-pointing tips
2. a soft suede leather formerly made from the hide of this animal, now obtained from the skins of sheep and goats
3. Also called: chamois leather, shammy, shammy leather, chammy, chammy leather / ˈʃæmɪ/ a piece of such leather or similar material used for polishing, etc
4. / ˈʃæmwɑː/ a yellow to greyish-yellow colour
5. (as modifier): a chamois stamp

verb (transitive)

1. to dress (leather or skin) like chamois
2. to polish with a chamois

Etymology: 16th Century: from Old French, from Late Latin camox of uncertain origin