alpaca
UK[ælˈpækə]US[ælˈpækə]
n
A South American mammal related to the llama, valued for its long, soft wool.
n
The wool or fleece of this animal.
n
Fabric or yarn made from this wool.
Etymology
The word 'alpaca' entered English in the late 18th century from Spanish, which itself borrowed it from the Aymara language of indigenous peoples in the Andes region of South America. The Aymara word 'allpaca' or 'paco' referred to the animal itself. Unlike many scientific or technical terms, 'alpaca' is a loanword that traveled directly from its native culture into global languages without undergoing a decomposition into classical Greek or Latin roots. Its journey from the Andes to English vocabulary illustrates the direct importation of terms for new concepts and commodities encountered through exploration and trade.
Analysis
The word 'alpaca' is a direct borrowing and is not meaningfully segmentable into smaller morphemes in English.
Examples
The alpaca is a domesticated species native to the high Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile.
Her scarf was made from the finest, most luxurious alpaca.
They visited a farm to see llamas, alpacas, and other camelids.