/sham"ee/ ; Fr. /shann mwah"/ , n. , pl. chamois, chamoix /sham"eez/ ; Fr. /shann mwah"/ , v. , chamoised /sham"eed/ , chamoising /sham"ee ing/ .
n.
1. an agile, goatlike antelope, Rupicapra rupicapra, of high mountains of Europe: now rare in some areas.
2. a soft, pliable leather from any of various skins dressed with oil, esp. fish oil, originally prepared from the skin of the chamois.
3. a piece of this leather.
4. a cotton cloth finished to simulate this leather.
5. a medium to grayish yellow color.
v.t.
6. to dress (a pelt) with oil in order to produce a chamois.
7. to rub or buff with a chamois.
Also, chammy, shammy, shamoy (for defs. 2-4, 6, 7).
[ 1525-35; camox, presumably of pre-L orig.; cf. GEMS ]