A beautiful rectangular piece of wool or other fabric worn, esp. by women, about the shoulders and sometimes the head, for warmth or for style. Pashmina is the finest type of cashmere wool. The name comes from Persian: pašmina, meaning “made from wool” and literally translates to “Soft Gold” in Kashmiri. The wool comes from three breeds of the Pashmina goat. Shawls are hand spun, and woven in Indian Kashmir and Nepal, and made from cashmere fiber.