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Mohair entered the English language in the 16th century, spelled variously as "mocayare," "mockaire," "mokayre," and "moochary." It was borrowed from Italian mocaiarro, a word which itself was borrowed from Arabic mukhayyar. The adjective mukhayyar meant "select" or "choice." How this Arabic adjective came to be the English noun "mohair" is a bit of a mystery. It is possible that "mukhayyar" was used as a colloquial noun in the sense of "wool of prime quality" (that is, "choice wool"). In English, the shift from "mocayare" and similar spellings to "mohair" was likely influenced by the more familiar English word hair.
Examples of mohair in a Sentence
Sarah Archer, Architectural Digest, 23 Dec. 2024
Inspired by her grandmother's knitting lessons and a love of oil painting and animals, Arundell creates intricate designs using materials such as mohair.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Best mohair sweaters Each of these just-oversized-enough sweaters mixes mohair with other fibers—including wool and polyamide—for softness and stretch.
—Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 4 Nov. 2024
Swap out a traditional beanie for a mohair one, try a beret, or rock a newsboy hat to spruce up your look.
—Andrea Bossi, Essence, 10 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Mohair.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mohair. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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mohair
noun
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