camel

[ kam-uh l ]

/ ˈkæm əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR camel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

either of two large, humped, ruminant quadrupeds of the genus Camelus, of the Old World.Compare Bactrian camel, dromedary.

a color ranging from yellowish tan to yellowish brown.

Also called camel spin. Skating. a spin done in an arabesque position.

Nautical.

Also called pontoon. a float for lifting a deeply laden vessel sufficiently to allow it to cross an area of shallow water.
a float serving as a fender between a vessel and a pier or the like.
caisson(def 3a).

Nearby words

cambs, cambyses, camcorder, camden, came, camel, camel case, camel cricket, camel grass, camel hair, camel spin

Origin of camel

before 950; Middle English, Old English < Latin camēlus < Greek kámēlos < Semitic; compare Hebrew gāmāl

Related forms

cam·el·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for camel

In short: It is so convenient that it makes a taxi seem about as high-tech as a camel.
Inside Uber’s Political War Machine|Olivia Nuzzi|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was something rather theatrical—surreal even—about walking into camp accompanied by a camel caravan later that evening.
On Foot in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco|Joanna Eede|January 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Later, I fell asleep to the sound of Lhoucine gently coaxing his camel and faint ululating from a distant stone cottage.
On Foot in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco|Joanna Eede|January 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Joe Camel: For about a decade beginning in 1987, Camel started to market its products using a mascot called “Old Joe.”
Big Tobacco’s Biggest Lies|Gideon Resnick|January 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“If we tell the camel owners that we will let you use a child in the race, they will refuse,” he said.
Dubai’s Camel Races Embrace Robot Jockeys|Adam Rasmi|December 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The man who had swallowed the camel of the Gunpowder Plot was scandalised at the idea of horse-stealing!
It Might Have Been|Emily Sarah Holt
No change, except that the order of the animals is Elephant, Camel, Ox.
The Talking Thrush|William Crooke
So next morning she said nothing when she saw a camel with two panniers kneeling in front of the tent, ready for its load.
The Adventures of Akbar|Flora Annie Steel
The camel races, while not exactly regarded as a medium for speculation, were the most amusing to watch.
With Our Army in Palestine|Antony Bluett
Ali's curiosity mounted because, contrary to their usual procedure, these handlers were gently trying to make the camel get up.
Hi Jolly!|James Arthur Kjelgaard

British Dictionary definitions for camel

camel

/ (ˈkæməl) /

noun

either of two cud-chewing artiodactyl mammals of the genus Camelus : family Camelidae. They are adapted for surviving long periods without food or water in desert regions, esp by using humps on the back for storing fatSee Arabian camel, Bactrian camel

a float attached to a vessel to increase its buoyancySee also caisson (def. 3)

a raft or float used as a fender between a vessel and a wharf

a fawn colour
(as adjective)a camel dress

Word Origin for camel

Old English, from Latin camēlus, from Greek kamēlos, of Semitic origin; related to Arabic jamal

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

Idioms and Phrases with camel

camel

see under last straw.

camel

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of camel

Related forms

Examples from the Web for camel

British Dictionary definitions for camel

camel

noun

Word Origin for camel

Idioms and Phrases with camel

camel