'angora-knit' originates from English as a compound of the noun 'angora' and the verb/noun 'knit', where 'angora' refers to the soft wool obtained from angora rabbits (and sometimes goats) and 'knit' means 'to make a fabric by interlocking loops of yarn.'

'angora' entered English in the 17th–18th centuries from French 'Angora' (the historic form of the city name Ankara), itself from Turkish 'Ankara'; 'knit' comes from Old English 'cnyttan' meaning 'to knot, tie, or entwine,' and developed into the modern verb 'knit.' The compound 'angora-knit' formed in modern English usage to describe items knitted from angora fibers.

Initially, 'angora' specifically named the place and later the animal (and its wool); over time it came to mean the soft wool or the fabric made from it. Combined with 'knit', the compound came to mean garments or fabric knitted from angora wool.