Anonymous ID: 165cb2 March 14, 2022, 8:51 p.m. No.15865691   ๐Ÿ—„๏ธ.is ๐Ÿ”—kun

long-necked ruminant animal of Africa, 1590s, giraffa, from Italian giraffa, from Arabic zarafa, probably from an African language. Earlier Middle English spellings varied wildly, depending on the foreign source, and included jarraf, ziraph, and gerfauntz, some apparently directly from Arabic, the last reflecting some confusion with olifaunt "elephant."

In Arabye, รพei ben clept Gerfauntz; รพat is a best pomelee or spotted .. but a lityll more high รพan is a stede, But he hath the necke a xxti cubytes long. [Mandeville's Travels, c. 1425]

The modern form of the English word is attested by c. 1600 and is via French girafe (13c.). Replaced earlier camelopard (from Latin camelopardalis), which was the basis form the name of the "giraffe" constellation Camelopardalis, among those added to the map 1590s by Flemish cartographer Petrus Plancius.

Entries linking to giraffe

 

camelopard (n.)

an old name for "giraffe," late 14c., from Late Latin camelopardus, shortened from Latin camelopardalis, from Greek kamelopardalis "a giraffe," a compound of kamelos "camel" (see camel), for the long neck, and pardos "leopard, panther" (see pard (n.1)), for the spots.

 

https://www.etymonline.com/word/giraffe

 

beluga (n.)

1590s, from Russian beluga, literally "great white," from belo- "white" (from PIE bhel-o-, suffixed form of root bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn," also "shining white") + augmentative suffix -uga. Originally the great white sturgeon, found in the Caspian and Black seas; later (1817) the popular name for the small white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) found in northern seas.

https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=beluga+whale