karakul
(ˈkærəkəl)
Also caracul(e), carakul, karacul.
[Russ., f. Karakul, name of a province and lake in Bokhara, where the breed originated.]
a. A breed of sheep with coarse wiry fur; a sheep of this breed. b. The glossy curled coat of a young karakul lamb, valued as fur. Also attrib., as karakul cloth, a kind of cloth made in imitation of karakul.
| 1853 M. Arnold Sohrab & Rustum in Poems 10 And on his head he plac'd his sheep-skin cap, Black, glossy, curl'd, the fleece of Kara-Kul. 1894 Westm. Gaz. 20 Sept. 3/3 Here is fashion's forecast for the winter season:—Blue the leading colour... Caracule the popular fur. Ibid. 4 Oct. 3/3 The most striking of this season's productions is caracule-cloth, which closely resembles the fur of that name. 1894 Queen 27 Oct. 735/3 A ‘Caracule’ plush, which simulates that fashionable fur. 1895 Army & Navy Co-op. Soc. Price List 1095 Astrachans, &c... Black Caracul. 1898 Daily News 15 Oct. 6/4 A tight-fitting caracul with revers of chinchilla. 1913 Illustr. Technical World XIX. 700/1 The Karakul is a desert sheep native to Bokhara, Central Asia. 1929 Daily Express 26 Jan. 5/3 The smarter coats are generally collared with a flat fur. These include astrachan, krimma, and caracul, in black, beige, or grey. 1930 Economist 4 Jan. 10/2 There have also been established in the prairie provinces karakul sheep farms, from which astrakhan and broadtail are secured. 1948 L. G. Green To River's End viii. 88 On both sides of the river the karakul lamb is flourishing. Ibid. x. 111 Glossy black karakul skins drying on their frames. 1949 Amer. Speech XXIV. 95 Lambs from China or the interior of Asia possess pelts distinguished by a flat, open, wavy curl and give their name to a common variety of skin very common in the industry called karacul, also spelled carakul. 1957 V. Nabokov Pnin v. 134 The warm rose-red silk lining of her karakul muff. 1960 Times 31 May (S. Afr. Suppl.) p. vi/7 Wool, of course, is a major export and is well supported by karakul pelts. |