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.
   • 1890 February, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “The Story of the Bald-headed Man”, in The Sign of Four (Standard Library), London: Spencer Blackett […], →OCLC, pages 66–67:

     Our new acquaintance very deliberately coiled up the tube of his hookah, and produced from behind a curtain a very long befrogged topcoat with Astrakhan collar and cuffs.

   • 1891 June 25, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Adventure I.—A Scandal in Bohemia.”, in Geo[rge] Newnes, editor, The Strand Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly, volume II, London: George Newnes, Limited, […], published July 1891, →OCLC:

     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 September, Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own, uniform edition, London: Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, […], published 1931 (April 1935 printing), →OCLC:

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

• astrakhaned

• karakul

• nakshatra