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giraffe

giraffe

64 1.0
A very tall African animal with a long neck and spots that eats leaves from trees
  • noun
  • /dʒɪˈræf/
: jirafa
  • The one we liked the best was the giraffe, the tallest animal in the zoo.
  • a giraffe's neck
  • giraffe, the tallest animal
  • see a giraffe

Have you ever heard of a giraffe ever being choked?

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Examples

  • At the safari, we saw a giraffe gracefully eating from the top branches.

  • The giraffe is known for its long neck, which helps it reach leaves on tall trees.

  • I believe this is a giraffe with a top hat.

  • How cute is this giraffe, you guys?

  • The one about the giraffe?

  • And the question is, if a giraffe were to wear a bow tie, where would the bow tie go?

  • For example, I want to know why giraffes have long necks.

  • You will go nose to nose with rhinos and look a sky-high giraffe in the eyes!

    Academic text (2001)
  • Challenged with tall trees, giraffes evolved long necks.

  • Children were thrilled to spot a giraffe at the zoo, where it towered over the other animals.

Synonyms

Giraffa camelopardalis
vsgiraffe
  • Specialized
8.8

A very tall African animal with a long neck, long legs, and a spotted coat

is the common everyday name rather than the scientific Latin name
Camelopardalis
vsgiraffe
  • Archaic
9.9

An old name for the giraffe

is the modern everyday name replacing that historical term
camelopard
vsgiraffe
  • Archaic
9.9

A tall African animal with a very long neck and spotted fur

is the current ordinary name used instead of that archaic word

How Tall

giraffe
64 1.0
horse
∞ 1.0
dog
∞ 1.0
cat
∞ 1.0
mouse
587 1.0

Surface Forms

giraffe singular
giraffes plural

Etymology

Giraffe comes to English from Arabic zarāfah, and passed into European languages as Italian giraffa. A helpful way to remember it is that the Arabic word may have meant 'fast walker', which fits this very tall animal with a long neck and long legs.