giraffe

IPA/dʒəˈrɑːf/
KK[dʒɚˈæf]IPA/dʒəˈræf/

giraffe — noun

  • giraffesingular
  • giraffesplural

1. a very tall wild animal from Africa that has an unusually long neck, thin legs,

1.nounA2
Definition

a very tall wild animal from Africa that has an unusually long neck, thin legs, and a spotted coat

Example

Yan pointed at the giraffe eating leaves from the tallest tree.

pattern: giraffe + eat leaves from a tree

The baby giraffe stood beside its mother a few minutes after birth.

collocation: baby giraffe / giraffe calf

Common collocations
  • giraffe calf
  • baby giraffe
  • feed a giraffe
  • herd of giraffes

Grammar Patterns

a/the giraffe

giraffes (plural)

giraffe calf

Usage Note

Often appears in descriptions of zoos, wildlife parks, and African grasslands. For the young animal, English often uses 'calf', as in 'a giraffe calf'.

Common Mistakes

We saw three giraffe at the zoo.
We saw three giraffes at the zoo.
Add -s for the regular plural form.
The giraffe lifted its long throat to the branch.
The giraffe lifted its long neck to the branch.
Use 'neck' for the outside body part; 'throat' refers to the inside passage.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Giraffe, camel, zebra, and deer are all long-legged animals, but they are used for different creatures. A giraffe is the tallest land animal and is easy to recognize by its very long neck and spotted coat. A camel is built for desert travel and has one or two humps on its back. A zebra looks more like a striped horse and does not have the giraffe's height or neck. A deer is usually smaller, and many male deer grow antlers. Use giraffe only for the African animal that reaches high branches for food. You can say 'We watched a giraffe pull leaves from a tree,' but you would use camel for desert animals and zebra for striped grassland animals.

giraffe ↗camel ↗zebra ↗deer ↗

Etymology

ArabicItalianEnglish

English borrowed giraffe from Italian giraffa. The Italian word came from Arabic zurafah, which was the name of this animal. The word has been part of English for many centuries.