What does cashmere mean?
Cashmere is a luxuriously soft, lightweight wool harvested from the fine undercoat of the Kashmir goat, an animal bred across high-altitude regions of Central Asia including Mongolia, China, Iran, and the Indian subcontinent. Prized for its exceptional warmth-to-weight ratio and silky hand-feel, the fiber has lent its name both to the yarn spun from it and to garments made from it — sweaters, scarves, and coats that carry connotations of elegance and considerable cost. Because genuine cashmere is expensive, blends with sheep's wool or synthetic fibers are common, and shoppers are advised to check labels carefully. The word itself derives from Kashmir, the historic region long associated with producing the fiber. In everyday English, cashmere functions almost exclusively as a noun, typically uncountable when referring to the material ('a coat trimmed in cashmere') and countable when naming a garment ('a drawer full of cashmeres' is rare). It remains a byword for refined comfort in fashion writing.
Fine, soft wool obtained from the undercoat of the Kashmir goat.
"Mongolian cashmere is considered among the finest available."
Usually uncountable when denoting the raw fiber.
A fabric, yarn, or garment made from cashmere wool.
"She bought a pale grey cashmere at the boutique."
Countable only when referring to a finished garment; rare in the plural.
Rarely used in the plural; occasionally appears informally to mean multiple cashmere garments.
"Her closet held several cashmeres inherited from her mother."
Cashmere is named after Kashmir — and it takes roughly four goats an entire year to produce enough wool for just one sweater.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cashmere
The word 'cashmere' entered English in the early 19th century as an anglicization of 'Kashmir', the Himalayan region famed for weaving shawls from the goat's fine undercoat. The fiber had been traded along routes connecting Central Asia to Europe for centuries before the name settled into English usage, replacing earlier terms such as 'Kashmir wool' and, in some contexts, 'pashm'. Its cognates are essentially geographic rather than linguistic: the place-name Kashmir and its adjective Kashmiri share the same origin.
How cashmere is actually used
Cashmere carries strong connotations of luxury, softness, and expense. It is often used attributively ('a cashmere jumper'). 'Pashmina' is sometimes used interchangeably but technically refers to a specific grade of cashmere.
Easily confused with cashmere
Camel hair is wool from the camel, whereas cashmere comes specifically from the Kashmir goat.