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Glite Dictionary
chamois leather

chamois leather

7.3
A soft cloth made from animal skin used to dry and polish surfaces
  • noun
  • /ˈʃæm.wɑː.leð.ər/
translation icon : cuero de gamuza
  • This chamois leather is perfect for cleaning delicate surfaces.

Examples

  • He used a chamois leather to polish the car until it gleamed.

  • I bought a piece of chamois leather for polishing my car.

  • Always dry your hands with a chamois leather after washing to avoid water spots.

  • The craftsman carefully wiped the lens with a clean chamois leather to prevent scratches.

  • The artist used a piece of chamois leather to gently clean the surface of the painting.

  • To polish the car's interior, he opted for a soft cloth made of chamois leather for its gentle touch.

  • She wiped the dust off the glasses with a chamois leather cloth to avoid scratching the lenses.

Synonyms

chamois
vschamois leather
3 9.1

A soft cloth made from leather used for cleaning and polishing things

is more specific about absorbency and gentle texture
shammy
vschamois leather
  • US
1 8.0

A soft leather cloth used to dry and polish things like cars or shoes

is the same product but expressed as a shorter or informal name
chammy
vschamois leather
1 9.9

A soft, thin leather cloth used for drying and polishing cars

is mainly used for cleaning and polishing rather than just describing texture
shammy leather
vschamois leather
  • US
6.1

A soft cloth made from animal skin that soaks up water and polishes surfaces

is an alternative traditional name for the same material
chammy leather
vschamois leather
8.2

A soft, flexible material from animal skin that you use to clean and polish

is the fuller formal term for that same material
chamois cloth
vschamois leather
5.6

A soft cloth that soaks up water and polishes cars and windows

is the traditional leather form rather than synthetic cloth versions
wash leather
vschamois leather
7.3

Soft absorbent cloth used to clean and shine cars and other surfaces

is the broader material term not limited to a single cleaning piece

How Absorbent

sponge
77 1.0
microfiber
  • US
4 3.7
chamois leather
7.3
towel
565 1.0

Surface Forms

chamois leather singular
chamois leathers plural

Morphology

chamois + leather

The phrase is fully compositional: 'chamois' names a specific soft sheepskin used for polishing and 'leather' names treated animal skin, so 'chamois leather' straightforwardly denotes leather made from (or like) chamois used for polishing. This literal noun–noun combination follows common cross-linguistic compounding patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Chamois leather comes from the skin of the small mountain animal called the chamois, which made a very soft leather. Because that skin soaks up water without scratching surfaces, the name came to mean 'a soft cloth used to dry and polish', and today the cloth is often made from sheepskin.