Wiktionary

camel

See also: cámel, camèl, and Camel

English

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A Bactrian camel, Camelus bactrianus
 
A caravan, a convoy of dromedary camels in the Jordan Rift Valley

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English camel, through Old English camel and Old Northern French camel (Old French chamel, modern French chameau), from Latin camēlus, from Ancient Greek κάμηλος (kámēlos), from a Semitic source, ultimately from Proto-Semitic *gamal-; compare Arabic جَمَل (jamal), Hebrew גמל (gamál), Aramaic ܓܡܠܐ (gamlā), Coptic ϭⲁⲙⲟⲩⲗ (camoul). As a marine device, from Dutch. As an ethnic slur, short for camelfucker, camel jockey, etc.

Noun

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camel (plural camels)

  1. A beast of burden, much used in desert areas, of the genus Camelus.
    Synonyms: (India (Anglo-Indian), Australia, colloquial) oont, ship of the desert
    Hypernyms: camelid, beast of burden, retromingent
    Hyponyms: Bactrian camel, deloul, dood, dromedarian, dromedary, hajeen, mehari
    Coordinate terms: bray, camlet, dromedarist, hajjan, hooshta, kajawah, mahmal, nose line, nose peg, sarwan, water bag, water cell; see also Category:en:Camelids
  2. A light brownish color, like that of a camel (also called camel brown).
    camel:  
  3. (typically in the plural) A vessel or tank, typically paired, used to make an object more buoyant.
    Synonym: caisson
    • 1961 April, H. Flint Ranney, "Whaling and Nantucket–The Decline: The Civil War, Petition to Congress, and the Camels", Historic Nantucket, Vol. 8, No. 4, p. 59:
      Nantucket Island is probably the only place in the United States where camels were put to work to solve the problem created by a sandbar. They were Marine camels, and like their live namesake, they were of a rugged construction and were designed to do very heavy work. In the shape of two large wooden boxes, the camels were flooded with sea water until they sank to a low level in the water; they were then arranged on each side of a heavily-loaded ship and drawn tightly together around the ship by means of heavy chains passing under the ship's hull. As the sea water was pumped out of the camels, they rose up to a higher level, raising the ship between them, and when fully emptied the camels and the ship were towed across the bar easily and safely because of the lesser draft. First used in Holland as early as 1688, the camels were invented by one M. M. Bakker, who named them for their great strength. The Dutch used them to carry large ships over the Pampas, which was a passage between two sandbanks in the Zyder Zee, opposite the mouth of the River Y, and about six miles from the city of Amsterdam. The Russians adopted the idea and used camels for carrying ships over the shoals at Neva...
  4. (ethnic slur) A person of Middle Eastern origin.
Derived terms
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Descendants
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  • → Coeur d'Alene: keemel
  • → Eastern Arrernte: kamule
  • → Tsonga: kamela
Translations
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Adjective

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camel (not comparable)

  1. Of a light brown color like that of a camel.
    • 1999, New Woman, volume 29, page 212:
      […] try to select accessories that are in the same color family as your coat," says millinery designer Patricia Underwood. To pick up the weave of a brown tweed jacket, for instance, choose a camel hat and black gloves.
Descendants
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Etymology 2

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From Afrikaans kameel.

Noun

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camel (plural camels)

  2. (South Africa, obsolete) Synonym of giraffe

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Old Northern French camel, cameil, from Latin camēlus. Some forms are from or influenced by Old French chamel, chamoil.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈkamɛl/, /kaˈmɛːl/, /kaˈmæi̯l/
  • (From Central Old French) IPA(key): /ˈt͡ʃamɛl/, /t͡ʃaˈmɛːl/, /t͡ʃaˈmæi̯l/

Noun

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camel (plural cameles)

  1. camel (mammal of the genus Camelus)

Descendants

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References

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Old French

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Etymology

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See chamel.

Noun

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camel oblique singular, m (oblique plural cameus, nominative singular cameus, nominative plural camel)

  1. (Old Northern French, Anglo-Norman) camel

Tocharian B

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Etymology

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An action noun from täm- (“be born”). Compare Tocharian A cmol.

Noun

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camel n

  1. birth, rebirth
    alyek cmelne ṣpä ñäkcye cmetsi śaiṣṣene
    and to be born in the divine world in another birth
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