moire means originally, a fine textile fabric made of the hair of an Asiatic goat. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 77 out of 100.
moire is pronounced /mwɑː/.
Why “moire” is a great word
MOIRE — [Noun] A textile fabric, especially silk, given a wavy, shimmering, and watered appearance by a calendering process that presses the weave into rippling patterns of light. From French moire, itself borrowed from English mohair (originally a fine fabric made from the hair of an Angora goat). Unlike mohair (which names the fiber) or damask (which denotes a woven structure), moire is defined by its mutable, opalescent finish—a surface phenomenon, not a material. It is the liquid shift of a gown in candlelight, the ghostly topographic rings on compressed silk, or the fleeting, oily rainbows on a sunlit puddle. The beauty of moire is a phantom landscape born from pressure, a memory of water captured in woven thread.
Etymology
Borrowed from French moire, itself from English mohair.
noun
- Originally, a fine textile fabric made of the hair of an Asiatic goat.
- Any textile fabric to which a watered appearance is given.