Etymology

mohair

M3O1H4A1I1R1

Today it means: Yarn or fabric made from the hair of the angora goat, often as mixed with cotton or other materials. Full definition →

Middle French mocayart ← Italian mocaiardo ← Arabic مُخَيَّر
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The story

  1. Arabic · derived fromمُخَيَّر“choice”
  2. Italian · derived frommocaiardo
  3. Middle French · derived frommocayart
  4. English todaymohair

Earlier mocayre, from Middle French mocayart and Italian mocaiardo, mocaiarro, both from Arabic مُخَيَّر (muḵayyar, “choice”), past participle of خَيَّرَ (ḵayyara, “to choose”). Form influenced by hair through folk etymology. Doublet of moire; compare mockado.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.