giraffe

UK: /dʒɪˈrɑːf/

US: /dʒəˈræf/

US: (jə raf′ or, esp. Brit., -räf′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

gi•raffe /dʒəˈræf/   n. [countable]

1. Mammals a tall, long-necked, spotted animal of Africa, the tallest living four-legged animal.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

gi•raffe  (jə raf′ or, esp. Brit., -räf′), n. 

1. Mammals a tall, long-necked, spotted ruminant, Giraffa camelopardalis, of Africa: the tallest living quadruped animal.
2. (cap.) [Astron.] the constellation Camelopardalis.

• Persian zurnāpā
• dialect, dialectal Arabic zirāfah, perh.
• Italian giraffa
• French girafe
• 1585–95

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

giraffe / dʒɪˈrɑːf -ˈræf/ noun ( -raffes, -raffe)

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

Etymology: 17th Century: from Italian giraffa, from Arabic zarāfah, probably of African origin