'angora-wool' originates from the Turkish place name 'Angora' (now Ankara), where the name was used to identify animals and textiles from that region.

'angora' entered European languages (for example French 'angora') from Turkish 'Angora' in the 18th century; English adopted 'angora' and the compound 'angora-wool' came to mean wool from animals associated with that name, later narrowed to wool from the Angora rabbit.

Initially, it referred broadly to animals or textiles from the Angora region, but over time it evolved to mean specifically the soft wool obtained from the Angora rabbit and products made from that wool.