Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SHAM'OIS, or SHAM'MY, n. [Fr. chamois; It. camozza; Sp. gamuza; Port. gamo; from Sp. gama, a doe, or it root; gavyr, a goat; Corn. and Ir. gavor.]

1. A species of Antelope, the Antilope Rupicapra, a ruminant mammal of the tribe Caprids, inhabiting the mountain: of Savoy, Piedmont, and the Pyrenees.
2. A kind of leather prepared from the skin of this animal. It is dressed in oil or tanned, and much esteemed for it softness, pliancy, and the quality of bearing soap without damage. A great part of the leather which bears this name, is counterfeit, being made of the skin of the common goat, the kid, or even of sheep. – Encyc.