camel

American  

[kam-uhl] / ˈkæm əl /

noun

1. either of two large, humped, ruminant quadrupeds of the genus Camelus, of the Old World.

2. a color ranging from yellowish tan to yellowish brown.

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

4. Nautical.

   1. Also called pontoon.  a float for lifting a deeply laden vessel sufficiently to allow it to cross an area of shallow water.

   2. a float serving as a fender between a vessel and a pier or the like.

   3. caisson.

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camel British  

/ ˈkæməl /

noun

1. 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 fat See Arabian camel Bactrian camel

2. a float attached to a vessel to increase its buoyancy See also caisson

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

4. 1. a fawn colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a camel dress

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camel Idioms  

1. see under last straw.

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Other Word Forms

• camellike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of camel

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

Explanation

A camel is a four-legged desert animal that's slightly larger than a horse. Camels are distinctive for the humps on their backs. There are two types of camels: the single-humped or dromedary and the two-humped camel. The first kind lives in the Middle East and parts of Africa, while the second is found in Central Asia. All camels are well-suited to life in the desert, going long periods without water and able to withstand high heat. The word camel comes from the Greek kamelos, and may be related to the Arabic jamala, "to bear."

Example Sentences

Work paused frequently as workers uncovered thousands of fossils, including a 2-foot bison horn and camel shin bone, dating back to the Ice Age.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

Until Friday, Amdjarass hosts dance troupes, musicians, traditional storytellers, craftspeople, cooks and nomadic camel drivers from across the vast region.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

“I rode my favorite camel Asfar, a sweet-natured animal, into the Libyan oasis town of Murzuq.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Others took refuge in the valleys among nomadic goat and camel herders, they told the BBC.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2025

Time and again, these analyses yield the same results: the freshest dung balls and the most recent camel bones date to the period when humans flooded America, that is, between approximately 12,000 and 9000 BC.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Related Words

• cream
• khaki
• off-white
• tan
• taupe