camel's-hair
UK[ˈkæməlz heə(r)]US[ˈkæməlz her]
n
A soft, thick, yellowish-brown fabric, traditionally made from the hair of a camel and used for coats and jackets.
n
The hair of a camel, used for making this fabric or for artists' brushes.
Morpheme Breakdown
camel
's
hair
camel
animal
's
possessive
hair
fibrous growth
Etymology
The compound "camel's-hair" is a straightforward descriptive term from English, formed by combining the name of the animal with the possessive suffix and the word for its filamentous coat. It follows a common pattern in English for naming materials derived from animals, such as "sheep's wool" or "horsehair." The term's logic is entirely transparent, denoting the specific raw material (hair) sourced from a specific animal (the camel). Historically, this hair, particularly the soft undercoat, has been valued for its warmth and texture, leading to its use in durable fabrics and, due to its fine tip, in high-quality brushes for artists.
Analysis
Structure: camel (animal) + 's (possessive) + hair (fibrous growth)
- camel: From Latin 'camēlus', from Greek 'kamēlos', likely of Semitic origin (e.g., Hebrew 'gamal', Arabic 'jamal'). Denotes the large, humped mammal.
- 's: The possessive clitic or genitive marker from Old English, indicating origin or association.
- hair: From Old English 'hǣr', from Proto-Germanic 'hērą', referring to the filamentous covering of an animal or human.
Examples
He wore an old camel's-hair coat that had belonged to his father.
The finest watercolor brushes are often made from camel's-hair.
The fabric, a blend of wool and camel's-hair, was remarkably soft and warm.