Soft and flexible like chamois leather, or having a velvety texture similar to suede.
From chamois, the leather traditionally made from chamois goat skin in the Alps. The word chamois comes from French, derived from Latin 'camox' (wild goat). Over time, 'chammy' became an alternate spelling emphasizing the tactile quality of this material.
The chamois goat almost went extinct from over-hunting for its luxurious leather, but today most 'chammy' cloths aren't actually made from goat skin anymore—they're microfiber! Yet we still use this 500-year-old word for something completely different.
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