dromedary
Americannoun
noun
-
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
Compare meaning
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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.
Still fewer people now alive remember the U. S. Army's curious Dromedary Episode, started by Jefferson Davis and last week still unended.
From Time Magazine Archive
Under his perennial black derby, he was sensuously ugly, with heavy features that had the thick texture of Dromedary dates.
From Time Magazine Archive
"I don't doubt it at all," said the Doubtful Dromedary to everyone's surprise.
From The Royal Book of Oz In which the Scarecrow goes to search for his family tree and discovers that he is the Long Lost Emperor of the Silver Island by Thompson, Ruth Plumly
The Comfortable Camel grunted plaintively from time to time, and Dorothy could hear the Doubtful Dromedary complaining bitterly in the darkness.
From The Royal Book of Oz In which the Scarecrow goes to search for his family tree and discovers that he is the Long Lost Emperor of the Silver Island by Thompson, Ruth Plumly
"Out with them!" cried Sir Hokus, pouncing on the Doubtful Dromedary, and in a minute each of the party had a cushion and was as snug as possible.
From The Royal Book of Oz In which the Scarecrow goes to search for his family tree and discovers that he is the Long Lost Emperor of the Silver Island by Thompson, Ruth Plumly
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.
