astrakhan

See also: Astrakhan

English

Named from the city of Astrakhan in Southern Russia.

astrakhan (countable and uncountable, plural astrakhans)

Closely-curled black or grey fleece of very young karakul lambs from Astrakhan.
Cloth resembling the above mentioned fur, often made from wool and mohair and used for trimmings.

1891, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes:
Heavy bands of astrakhan were slashed across the sleeves and fronts of his double-breasted coat....
1914, James Joyce, The Dead:
He was dressed in a long green overcoat with mock astrakhan cuffs and collar and wore on his head an oval fur cap.
1924, Richard Connell, The Most Dangerous Game:
He was dressed in uniform—a black uniform trimmed with gray astrakhan.
1929, Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own, Penguin Books, paperback edition, page 33:
Was the cavalry officer slim and elegant, and dressed in astrakhan?

fleece

cloth