Merino Wool

Merino

The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It originated in the Iberian Peninsula during the High Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the breed were not allowed, and those who tried risked capital punishment. During the eighteenth century, flocks were sent to the courts of a number of European countries, including France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Prussia, Saxony and Sweden.

Wool

Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal wool.

merino

Noun

1. A sheep of a Spanish breed with long, fine hair.
2. The wool of this sheep.

wool

Noun

1. The hair of the sheep, llama and some other ruminants.
2. A cloth or yarn made from such hair.