gi·raffe

(jə-răf′)

n. pl. gi·raffes or giraffe

An African ruminant mammal (Giraffa camelopardalis) having a very long neck and legs, a tan coat with orange-brown to black blotches, and short horns. It is the tallest land animal, often reaching a height of 5 meters (16 feet).

[French girafe, from Italian giraffa, from Arabic dialectal zirāfa, probably of African origin.]

gi·raff′ish adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

giraffe

(dʒɪˈrɑːf; -ˈræf)

n, pl -raffes or -raffe

(Animals) 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

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

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

gi•raffe

(dʒəˈræf; esp. Brit. -ˈrɑf)

n.

a tall, long-necked, spotted ruminant, Giraffa camelopardalis, of Africa: the tallest living quadruped animal.

[1585–95; < French girafe < Italian giraffa < dial. Arabic zirāfah]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

giraffe - tallest living quadruped; having a spotted coat and small horns and very long neck and legs; of savannahs of tropical Africa

camelopard, Giraffa camelopardalis

ruminant - any of various cud-chewing hoofed mammals having a stomach divided into four (occasionally three) compartments

genus Giraffa, Giraffa - type genus of the Giraffidae

okapi, Okapia johnstoni - similar to the giraffe but smaller with much shorter neck and stripe on the legs

giraffe

noun

Related words
collective noun herd

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

زرافةزَرَافَةزرافَه

жираф

žirafa

giraf

Giraffe

καμηλοπάρδαλη

jirafa pardal

kaelkirjak

kirahvi

girafe

žirafa

zsiráf

gíraffi

giraffa

キリン

기린

camelopardalis

žirafa

žirafe

sjiraffgiraff

girafă

žirafa

giraff

twiga

ยีราฟ

zürafa

hươu cao cổ

长颈鹿

giraffe

[dʒɪˈrɑːf] N (giraffes or giraffe (pl)) → jirafa f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

giraffe

[dʒɪˈrɑːf] n → girafe f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

giraffe

n → Giraffe f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

giraffe

[dʒɪˈrɑːf] n → giraffa

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

giraffe

(dʒiˈraːf) – plurals giˈraffes ~giˈraffe – noun

an African animal with a very long neck, long legs and spots.

giraffe is spelt with one r and two fs.

giraffe

→ زَرَافَة žirafa giraf Giraffe καμηλοπάρδαλη jirafa kirahvi girafe žirafa giraffa キリン 기린 giraf sjiraff żyrafa girafa жираф giraff ยีราฟ zürafa hươu cao cổ 长颈鹿

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Really he was a bad one, but whenever he missed we overlooked it for the sake of that giraffe.

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The Mylodon, moreover, was furnished with a long extensile tongue like that of the giraffe, which, by one of those beautiful provisions of nature, thus reaches with the aid of its long neck its leafy food.

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And never having been anywhere in the world but in Africa, Nantucket, and the pagan harbors most frequented by whalemen; and having now led for many years the bold life of the fishery in the ships of owners uncommonly heedful of what manner of men they shipped; daggoo retained all his barbaric virtues, and erect as a giraffe, moved about the decks in all the pomp of six feet five in his socks.

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More--he mortgaged all he possessed against the day of the auction, bought in the trained horses and ponies, the giraffe herd and the performing elephants, and, in six months more was quit of an of them, save the pony Repeater who turned air-springs, at another profit of fifteen thousand dollars.

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With him is a giraffe. The giraffe drink every day one dozen best champagne to keep his coat good.

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Christy himself, a square-browed, broad-shouldered masculine edition of his mother not much higher than Fred's shoulder--which made it the harder that he should be held superior--was always as simple as possible, and thought no more of Fred's disinclination to scholarship than of a giraffe's, wishing that he himself were more of the same height.

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One hastens to southern Africa to chase the giraffe; but surely that is not the game he would be after.

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"I'm a giraffe, am I not?" she declared; "and I'm still growing.

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Often they would come racing through the trees to her side to announce the near presence of antelope or giraffe, or with excited warnings of the proximity of Sheeta or Numa.

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She found Nutty sitting on the bed, looking like an overwrought giraffe.

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They gave my bobtail coat to somebody else, and sent me an ulster suitable for a giraffe. I had to tie my collar on, because there was no button behind on that foolish little shirt which I described a while ago.

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Can we believe that natural selection could produce, on the one hand, organs of trifling importance, such as the tail of a giraffe, which serves as a fly-flapper, and, on the other hand, organs of such wonderful structure, as the eye, of which we hardly as yet fully understand the inimitable perfection?

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