karakul

noun

kar·​a·​kul ˈker-ə-kəl How to pronounce karakul (audio)
ˈka-rə-
1
often capitalized : any of a breed of hardy fat-tailed sheep of central Asian origin with a narrow body and coarse wiry fur
2
: the usually curly glossy black coat of a very young karakul lamb valued as fur compare broadtail sense 2, persian lamb sense 1

Illustration of karakul

Illustration of karakul
  • karakul 1

Examples of karakul in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In their place are elderly, ultra-Orthodox Jews wearing black overcoats and fedoras; south and central Asians with traditional karakul hats; and gaggles of merchants shouting in languages from across the world. Barak Richman, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Jan. 2020 Most fur-bearing animals have never been domesticated, which makes raising a fox for the trim of a parka inherently crueler than aborting a karakul lamb for a wool cap, animal rights activists say. Glendale News-Press, 29 Aug. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'karakul.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Karakul, village in Uzbekistan

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of karakul was in 1853

Dictionary Entries Near karakul

Cite this Entry

“Karakul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/karakul. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

karakul

noun
kar·​a·​kul ˈkar-ə-kəl How to pronounce karakul (audio)
1
often capitalized : any of a breed of hardy Asian sheep with coarse fur
2
: the usually curly glossy black coat of a young karakul lamb valued as fur

More from Merriam-Webster on karakul

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!