karakul

(karə kul′, -kəl)

noun

  1. any of a breed of medium-sized sheep native to central Asia, having long, drooping ears, long legs, and a broad, fat tail
  2. the tightly curled, lustrous fur made from the fleece of its newborn lambs: in this sense commonly sp. caracul

Origin: Russ, astrakhan < Turkic qara köl, lit., dark lake: common place name in central Asia

See karakul in American Heritage Dictionary 4

also car·a·cul

noun In both senses also called broadtail.
  1. Any of a breed of Central Asian sheep having a wide tail and wool that is curled and glossy in the young but wiry and coarse in the adult.
  2. Fur made from the pelt of a karakul lamb.

Origin:

Origin: After Karakul, a lake of eastern Tajikistan

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