astrakhan
(æstrəˈkæn)
a. The skin of still-born or very young lambs from Astrakhan in Russia, the wool of which resembles fur. b. A kind of cloth used chiefly as an edging or trimming for garments.
| 1766 Earl of March in Selwyn & Contemps. II. 116 My black silk coat lined with an Astrakan. 1859 W. Boyd Swartzen, With a muff..Of chinchilla, fitch, opossum, Astrakhan. 1887 Cassell's Fam. Mag. Oct. 698/1 The curled cloths or woollen Astrachans used for trimmings and for entire jackets. 1898 Daily News 23 Mar. 5/6 Mr. Gladstone..closely muffled up in a brown astrachan-lined overcoat. 1904 Tailor & Cutter 4 Aug. 479 Astrachan: A cloth made of worsted material, with a long and closely-curled pile, in imitation of the fur of that name. 1958 Hayward & Harari tr. Pasternak's Dr. Zhivago i. vi. 183 Her astrakhan cape hung open over the..quaking layers of her double chin. 1965 Which? Mar. 96/2 Most astrakhan cloth is imitation fur, usually made from wool and mohair. For coats, hats, trimmings. |