giraffe Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun tallest living quadruped; having a spotted coat and small horns and very long neck and legs; of savannahs of tropical Africa
camelopard; Giraffa camelopardalis.

F. girafe, Sp. girafa, from Ar. zurafa, zarafa.

(Zoöl.) An African ruminant (Camelopardalis giraffa) related to the deers and antelopes, but placed in a family by itself; the camelopard. It is the tallest of animals, being sometimes twenty feet from the hoofs to the top of the head. Its neck is very long, and its fore legs are much longer than its hind legs.