rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryalpacaSouth American animal
noun

alpaca

al-PAK-uh/ælˈpækə/

A domesticated Andean animal raised for its fine fleece.

A thickly fleeced alpaca stands beside a basket of shorn wool.

A clearly recognizable, densely fleeced alpaca standing in a simple Andean pasture enclosure, with a small basket of shorn fleece beside it.
Etymology
alpacaSpanishalpaca

Spanish alpaca already named the wool-bearing Andean animal. Its probable Aymara ancestry includes a connection to a Quechua word meaning “yellowish-red.”

In context

Spell0:24
these women weaving the fabric from scratch and creating the yarn from the alpaca wool
The Old World of Peruvian Craft ~ Isabella of Spell visits an Artisan village in Peru

More examples

  • The scarf is woven from soft alpaca.
  • Several alpacas graze in the enclosed pasture.
  • She compares an alpaca coat with one made from sheep's wool.

Forms

alpaca · alpacas

Similar words

llama
A related Andean animal generally larger and used for carrying loads.
fleece
Names an animal's woolly coat rather than this particular species.