Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The soft wool lying beneath the long coat of the muskox, valued for its use as a fiber.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The underwool of the Arctic muskox, used as a fibre.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Inuit, pl. of qiviuq, down, underhair.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Eastern Canadian Inuktitut ᕿᕕᐅᖅ (qiviut, "underwool").

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Examples

  • The inner fur of the muskox is called qiviut, which is softer than cashmere.

    A Passion for Knitting Nancy J. Thomas 2002

  • For added insulation, musk oxen grow a second fur layer each winter, an undercoat called qiviut that is said to be many times warmer than wool and softer than cashmere - and how obliging of the animals to shed that qiviut in spring for use in scarves.

    NYT > Home Page By NATALIE ANGIER 2010

  • The result is very similar to that of qiviut, in that it is soft like cashmere and warm like wool.

    Yearn Worthy Yarn: Bijou Basin Ranch 2008

  • This philosophy compliments our process of hand combing the qiviut from live animals.

    Yearn Worthy Yarn: Qiviut 2008

  • Also available in roving and unprocessed, qiviut is a luxurious fiber perfect for a scarf or shawl.

    Yearn Worthy Yarn: Qiviut 2008

  • Pronounced kiv-ee-ute, qiviut is an Inuit word for down or underwool.

    Yearn Worthy Yarn: Qiviut 2008

  • The only yarn store in Banff is at in the Banff Springs Hotel, and sells only qiviut.

    Vacation! - And She Knits Too! 2008

  • The qiviut is very soft and warm and easily spun into highly sought after yarn.

    Yearn Worthy Yarn: Qiviut 2008

  • The result is very similar to that of qiviut, in that it is soft like cashmere and warm like wool.

    Archive for » 2008 » May : Crafting a Green World 2008

  • In preparation for the warmer summer months, musk ox shed a layer of their fur called qiviut.

    Yearn Worthy Yarn: Qiviut 2008

Comments

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  • From the Inuit qiviuq; the soft wool of the undercoat of the musk ox. Pronounced KEE-vee-ut.

    November 30, 2007

  • "To wear the arctic fox

    you have to kill it. Wear

    qiviut — the underwool of the arctic ox –

    pulled off it like a sweater;

    your coat is warm; your conscience, better."

    — Marianne Moore, "The Arctic Ox (Or Goat)"

    March 27, 2013