dromedary
Americannoun
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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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
Al Dhafra also features falcon racing, dromedary dancing and a camel milking contest.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 23, 2021
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
We joke about Judy’s dromedary days still, how she would drag her fluid-filled lump across the living-room floor, taking uncertain, lopsided hops that audibly sloshed.
From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2018
The dromedary attains to a speed which the Arab compares to the speed of the wind.
From Natural History in Anecdote Illustrating the nature, habits, manners and customs of animals, birds, fishes, reptiles, etc., etc., etc. by Various
In 1855, Davis wheedled about $20,000 out of Congress, enough for a trip to the Mideast to buy 30-some camels and dromedaries and hire “cameleers.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2021
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
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.
