dromedary
Americannoun
-
dromedaries
plural
noun
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a type of Arabian camel bred for racing and riding, having a single hump and long slender legs
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another name for Arabian camel
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dromedary
1300–50; Middle English dromedarie, -ary (< Anglo-French ) < Late Latin dromedārius ( camēlus ) < Greek dromad- (stem of dromás ) running + Latin -ārius -ary
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How does dromedary compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A dromedary is a type of camel. In parts of North Africa, it's popular for riders to race dromedaries. Another name for the dromedary is the "Arabian camel." Dromedaries are the tallest type of camel, and they always have a single (rather than double) hump on their backs. Despite their height, dromedaries tend to be strong, fast, and light, which is why they have been used for racing. The Late Latin dromedarius means "kind of camel," from a Greek root, dromas kamelos, "running camel."
Vocabulary lists containing dromedary
2015 National Spelling Bee Words
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for December 18–December 24, 2021
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Adventures of Don Quixote
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The WHO said there were no signs the man had come into contact with dromedary camels, which spread the disease that is separate from COVID-19.
From Reuters ● Jul. 24, 2023
And the oryxes, and the Barbary sheep, and the Przewalski’s horses, the giraffes, the dromedary camels and a variety of other hoofed mammals.
From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2023
The Nats are not desperate enough — yet — to use a dromedary as a relief pitcher to get them over their late-inning hump.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 18, 2019
Some rummaging around, Muyldermans says, turned up an alternative: a stash of frozen dromedary camel serum collected to study the animals' parasites.
From Science Magazine ● May 10, 2018
Elephant and dromedary were surrounded with long fly-nets, from which dangled many-coloured fringes.
From The Tour A Story of Ancient Egypt by Louis Couperus
Q. Rep. Gohmert, what do you call two dromedaries crossing a desert?
From Washington Post ● Oct. 10, 2019
Prof Gary Stephens said: "Llamas and other dromedaries, such as camels, have been found to produce nano antibodies which are much smaller than those of humans."
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2019
Unsurprisingly, he’s as fascinated by dromedaries and a squawking vulture as he is the humans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2017
Tests on 203 dromedaries from different parts of Saudi Arabia found evidence of past infection in about 75 percent overall, with higher rates in some regions.
From New York Times ● Feb. 25, 2014
We’re greeted by the grunts and complaints of distressed dromedaries.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
