Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Arabic ·1500s
Giraffe
from zarāfa
- Meaning
- The long-necked African ungulate.
- Source word
- zarāfa
- Route into English
- Arabic → Italian *giraffa* → French → English. Italian merchants first encountered the animal through the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt; earlier English used the Latin *camelopard*.
- Arrived
- 1500s
From Arabic
Science, trade, and the Mediterranean transit of Andalusian scholarship gave English its Arabic stratum — especially in maths, chemistry, and commerce. Many entered through Latin or Italian.
English borrows.
Browse the full loanword atlas or explore another source language.