or CHAMOIS, a kind of leather, either dressed in oil or tanned, much esteemed for its softness and pliancy. It is prepared from the skin of the chamois, or shamois, a kind of wild goat, called also isard, inhabiting the mountains of Dauphine, Savoy, Piedmont, and the Pyrenees. Besides the softness and warmth of the leather, it has the faculty of bearing soap without damage, which renders it very useful on many accounts.