A very fine, very soft wool, and cloth made from it. It comes from goats, not sheep — the fine undercoat that certain goats grow to survive the cold in Kashmir, Mongolia and the north of China. Each goat gives only a small amount each year, and it must be separated from the rough outer hair by hand, which is why cashmere costs so much more than ordinary wool. What a wearer notices is that it is warm without being heavy, and soft enough not to itch, which is exactly what plain sheep's wool is bad at. You use the word for the material ("it's made of cashmere") or in front of a noun ("a cashmere scarf", "a cashmere sweater"). Because of the price, the word carries a whisper of luxury — saying "a cashmere coat" in a story tells the reader something about the person wearing it. Say it KASH-meer. Warning for shoppers: many cheap items say "cashmere blend", which may be mostly ordinary wool.