WordNet Dictionary- [n] hoofed mammal of mountains of Eurasia having upright horns with backward-hooked tips
- [n] a soft suede leather formerly from the sheep of the chamois antelope but now from sheepskin
Webster's 1913 Dictionary\Cham"ois\, n. [F. chamois, prob. fr. OG. gamz, G.
gemse.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) A small species of antelope ({Rupicapra
tragus}), living on the loftiest mountain ridges of
Europe, as the Alps, Pyrenees, etc. It possesses
remarkable agility, and is a favorite object of chase.
2. A soft leather made from the skin of the chamois, or from
sheepskin, etc.; -- called also {chamois leather}, and
{chammy} or {shammy leather}. See {Shammy}.
Easton Bible Dictionaryonly in Deut. 14:5 (Heb. zemer), an animal of the deer or gazelle species. It bears this Hebrew name from its leaping or springing. The animal intended is probably the wild sheep (Ovis tragelephus), which is still found in Sinai and in the broken ridges of Stony Arabia. The LXX. and Vulgate render the word by camelopardus, i.e., the giraffe; but this is an animal of Central Africa, and is not at all known in Syria.