giraffe

[ juh-raf or, especially British, -rahf ]
See synonyms for giraffe on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a tall, long-necked, spotted ruminant, Giraffa camelopardalis, of Africa: the tallest living quadruped animal.

  2. Giraffe, Astronomy. the constellation Camelopardalis.

Origin of giraffe

1
First recorded in 1585–95; from French girafe, from Italian giraffa, from dialectal Arabic zirāfah; further origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use giraffe in a sentence

  • The vessel in which we took passage to Atfi had two giraffes on board, destined for the United States.

    Letters from Palestine | J. D. Paxton
  • He had with him two Arabs, for the twofold purpose of waiting on himself, and taking care of the giraffes.

    Letters from Palestine | J. D. Paxton
  • Its broad pastures, stretching away to the distant horizon, teem with flocks of ostriches and herds of giraffes.

    Some Heroes of Travel | W. H. Davenport Adams
  • The giraffes saw them plainly enough, but they got to within four hundred yards before the herd began to shift.

    The Rogue Elephant | Elliott Whitney

British Dictionary definitions for giraffe

giraffe

/ (dʒɪˈrɑːf, -ˈræf) /


nounplural -raffes or -raffe
  1. 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

Origin of giraffe

1
C17: from Italian giraffa, from Arabic zarāfah, probably of African origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012