giraffa

Borrowed from Arabic زُرَافَة (zurāfa), borrowed from Classical Syriac ܙܪܝܦܐ, borrowed from Classical Persian زُرْنَاپَا (zurnāpā), from سرنا + پَا (pā).

(Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒiˈraf.fa/

• Audio:

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• Rhymes: -affa
• Hyphenation: gi‧ràf‧fa

giraffa f (plural giraffe)

1. giraffe (mammal)
2. boom (a movable pole used to support a microphone or camera)

• giraffa on the Italian Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^it

• graffai, graffia

giraffa f (plural giraffas) (rare)

1. (Brazilian Portuguese spelling) Pre-reform spelling (used until 1943) of girafa.
   • 1914 April 13, “Humorismo”, in Jornal Pequeno, volume XVI, number 81, Recife, page 1, column 3:

     O jacaré — Que diabo é isso, giraffa? Pernas de páo?

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1923 August 31, “Curiosidades a granel”, in O Combate, volume IX, number 2471, São Paulo, page 2, column 1:

     A giraffa é o unico animal vertebrado que não emitte som.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • [1931 April 27, “A VIDA ANIMAL DOS SERTÕES DA AFRICA, EM “INGAGI””, in A Gazeta, volume XXV, number 7563, São Paulo, page 5, column 2:

     Entre os animaes, passaros e reptis apresentados, podemos citar os seguintes: “Kongoni”, Zebra, giraffas, hyppopotamos, rhinocerontes, leões […]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)]

The spelling with a single ⟨f⟩ was already in common use before the spelling reforms.

From Italian giraffa.

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ɡɪˈraf.fa]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [d͡ʒiˈraf.fa]

giraffa f (genitive giraffae); first declension

1. (New Latin, zoology) a giraffe

First-declension noun.