From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishchamoischam‧ois /ˈʃæmwɑː $ ˈʃæmi/ noun (plural chamois) 1 [countable]HBA a wild animal like a small goat that lives in the mountains of Europe and southwest Asia2 (also chamois leather /ˈʃæmi leðər $ -ər/) [countable, uncountable]TIM soft leather prepared from the skin of chamois, sheep, or goats and used for cleaning or polishing, or a piece of this leather → shammy
Examples from the Corpus
chamois• Some manicurists will then buff the nail with a chamois pad to impart a sheen on the finished item.• Deep inside the cavity was a small, dark chamois bag with a draw-string neck.• Lynx, chamois, wild boar.• Leaves have a citrus fragrance and glycerine beautifully, turning the colour of chamois leather.• Suburban roads were alive with the squish of chamois leather.• The front grille and the chrome hub caps gleamed, because he polished them every evening with a soft chamois cloth.• Downhill skiing requires ski lifts that frighten the chamois and clutter the mountains with pylons and cables.• Rubbing this chamois leather expels some of the negative material from it.Origin chamois (1500-1600) French Late Latin camox