giraffe

American  

[juh-raf, -rahf] / dʒəˈræf, -ˈrɑf /

noun

• giraffes
  plural

1. a tall, long-necked, spotted ruminant, Giraffa camelopardalis, of Africa: the tallest living quadruped animal.

2. Astronomy. Giraffe, the constellation Camelopardalis.

---

giraffe British  

/ dʒɪˈrɑːf, -ˈræf /

noun

1. a large ruminant mammal, Giraffa camelopardalis, inhabiting savannas of tropical Africa: the tallest mammal, with very long legs and neck and a colouring of regular reddish-brown patches on a beige ground: family Giraffidae

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• giraffes
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of giraffe

First recorded in 1585–95; from French girafe, from Italian giraffa, from dialectal Arabic zirāfah; further origin uncertain

---

Explanation

A giraffe is an extremely tall animal with a very long neck. You can't miss the giraffes at the zoo, because they tower above all the other animals. Giraffes are the tallest living animals on land, the very largest of them being three times taller than an average human. The name giraffe can be traced back to the Arabic zarafa and is thought to be rooted in an African language. An earlier English name for these African ungulates was camelopard, from their similarities to camels (four legs, long neck) and leopards (spots).

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

giraffe giraffes

On the lam in Texas: Gracie the giraffe.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

As the animal grew from dog sized to horse sized to giraffe sized and eventually to enormous proportions, its place in the ecosystem shifted at each stage.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 27, 2026

A tall, slender Riesling magnum is the giraffe of the wine world: striking and exotic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025

Kenyan authorities seized 400kg of giraffe meat as part of the global crackdown and, in Belgium, primate flesh was found.

From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2025

Sophia's teacup pets parade up and down—Singe and Zo are leading her new giraffe and three teacup dragons.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

He then proceeded to pitch me an animated children’s show about singing giraffes.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

Patterns resembling Voronoi diagrams can often be seen in nature, including the markings on giraffes.

From Science Daily ● May 14, 2026

In recent weeks, hundreds of giraffes, zebras, and antelopes have been removed from the Kedong Ranch, on the shores of tourist hotspot Lake Naivasha.

From Barron's ● Nov. 17, 2025

There are giraffes, elephants and dinosaurs, but none is animatronic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025

I did the right thing, too, because when I take my seat again Holly Macnamore is trying to answer questions from Kaylee about giraffes, and it’s not going well.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---