giraffe
[ juh-raf or, esp. British, -rahf ]
/ dʒəˈræf or, esp. British, -ˈrɑf /
noun
a tall, long-necked, spotted ruminant, Giraffa camelopardalis, of Africa: the tallest living quadruped animal.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy.
the constellation Camelopardalis.
Origin of giraffe
1585–95; < French
girafe < Italian
giraffa < dialectal Arabic
zirāfah, perhaps < Persian
zurnāpā
Words nearby giraffe
gippsland,
gippy,
gipsy,
gipsy moth,
gipsywort,
giraffe,
giraldus cambrensis,
girandole,
girard,
girasol,
giraud
Example sentences from the Web for giraffe
British Dictionary definitions for giraffe
giraffe
/ (dʒɪˈrɑːf, -ˈræf) /
noun plural -raffes or -raffe
a large ruminant mammal, Giraffa camelopardalis, inhabiting savannas of tropical Africa: the tallest mammal, with very long legs and neck and a colouring of regular reddish-brown patches on a beige ground: family Giraffidae
Word Origin for giraffe
C17: from Italian
giraffa, from Arabic
zarāfah, probably of African origin