astrakhan

Named after the city of Astrakhan in Southern Russia.

• IPA^(key): /æstɹəˈkæn/

astrakhan (countable and uncountable, plural astrakhans)

1. Closely-curled black or grey fleece of very young karakul lambs from Astrakhan.
2. Cloth resembling the above mentioned fur, often made from wool and mohair and used for trimmings.
   • 1891, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes:

     Heavy bands of astrakhan were slashed across the sleeves and fronts of his double-breasted coat […]

   • 1914, James Joyce, The Dead:

     He was dressed in a long green overcoat with mock astrakhan cuffs and collar and wore on his head an oval fur cap.

   • 1924, Richard Connell, The Most Dangerous Game:

     He was dressed in uniform—a black uniform trimmed with gray astrakhan.

   • 1929, Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own, Penguin Books, paperback edition, page 33:

     Was the cavalry officer slim and elegant, and dressed in astrakhan?

• karakul

• nakshatra