astrakhan

English

Etymology

Named from the Central-Asian city and oblast Astrakhan.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /æstrəˈkæn/

Noun

astrakhan (plural astrakhans)

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

Quotations

• 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?