alpaca

UK /ælˈpæk.ə/ US /ælˈpæk.ə/ Syllables: al-pac-a

Pronunciation

Noun A1 Beginner Neutral

A smaller relative of the llama, raised mainly for its soft wool.

An alpaca is an animal from the mountains of South America. It looks like a small llama and has a long neck, soft eyes and thick, silky wool. Farmers keep alpacas for their fleece, which is used to make warm sweaters, scarves and blankets. Alpaca wool is soft, light and warm, and it comes in many natural colors, from white to brown and black. Alpacas live in herds and make a quiet humming sound.

"The alpaca's soft wool is used to make warm sweaters."

Example sentences

"The alpaca stood quietly in the field."

Level A2
"She bought a sweater made from alpaca wool."

Level A2
"A herd of alpacas lives on the farm."

Level B1
"The alpaca is related to the llama."

Level B1

Look-alikes and common mistakes

llama : A llama is larger and is kept to carry loads. An alpaca is smaller and is kept for its soft wool.
sheep : A sheep gives wool too, but an alpaca has a longer neck and finer, silkier fiber.

Word family and forms

Forms: alpacas

llama alpaca wool alpaca farm

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "alpaca".

alpaca wool
an alpaca sweater
an alpaca farm
a herd of alpacas
alpaca fleece
a baby alpaca

Origin

Alpaca was borrowed into English in the early 1800s from Spanish alpaca, which took it from Aymara allpaqa, the name the Aymara people of the Andes gave to the animal.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

Usage notes

Often confused with the llama, though alpacas are smaller and kept mainly for their soft wool rather than as pack animals.

How to remember it

Alpaca has the same ending as a llama. Both are woolly animals from the Andes, and both have two a's at the end of the name.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "The _____ stood quietly in the field."

Answer: alpaca

In your own words, what does "alpaca" mean?