: any of three large ruminant (see ruminantentry 1) mammals (genus Camelus) that have one or two large humps of stored fat on the back and are used as draft and saddle animals in desert regions especially of Africa and Asia:
a
: the one-humped camel (C. dromedarius) extant only as a domestic or feral animal : dromedary
b
: the 2-humped camels (C. bactrianus and C. ferus) of desert and steppe regions of northwestern China and southwestern Mongolia : bactrian camel
2
: a watertight structure used especially to lift submerged ships
"… So we're going to look for more luxury fabrics—cashmere, camel, alpaca and … lambswools."—Paul Diamond
—usually used before another noun
a genuine camel coat
b
: leather made from the skin of a camel
They all have four-digit price tags and are crafted from luxe leathers like buffalo, calfskin and camel.—Georgina Safe
—usually used before another noun
camel leather
Illustration of camel
1 dromedary
2 Bactrian camel
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Visitors will find jaguars, tigers, tree kangaroos, crocodiles, elephants, camels, chimpanzees, rhinos, Florida panthers and meerkats, among many others.—Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2025 Its Facebook page advertises access to goats, capybaras, a zebra and a camel, in addition to the kangaroo.—Doha Madani, NBC news, 11 May 2025 The book warns that cheese made from dog milk would cause a woman to deliver her baby prematurely and also notes that in some places, cheese was made from the milk of camels, mares and donkeys.—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2025 From camels to takins, there’s no shortage of iconic international species to discover, many of which are subject to ambitious conservation programs that aim to restore native populations to their former numbers.—Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for camel
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English & Anglo-French, from Latin camelus, from Greek kamēlos, of Semitic origin; akin to Hebrew gāmāl camel
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of camel was
before the 12th century
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