Karakul

/kar"euh keuhl/, n. (sometimes l.c.)

1. one of an Asian breed of sheep having curly fleece that is black in the young and brown or gray in the adult: raised esp. for lambskins used in the fur industry. Cf. broadtail, Persian lamb.

2. (sometimes l.c.) a Karakul lambskin.

Also, caracul.

[1850-55; after Kara Kul lake on the Pamir plateau, Tajikistan, near where the sheep were bred]

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Breed of sheep that originated in central or western Asia.

They are raised chiefly for the skins of very young lambs, which have a glossy, tightly curled black coat (the "Persian lamb" of the fur trade). The wool of mature Karakul sheep, classified as carpet wool, is a mixture of coarse and fine fibres 6–10 in. (15–25 cm) long and varies from black to brown and gray.

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▪ breed of sheep

  sheep breed of central or west Asian origin, raised chiefly for the skins of very young lambs, which are covered with glossy, tightly curled black coats and are called Persian lamb in the fur trade. The wool of mature Karakul sheep, classified as carpet wool, is a mixture of coarse and fine fibres, from 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) long, of colours varying from black to various shades of brown and gray. The Karakul was first imported into the United States in 1909.

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