: 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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At this point, there's sometimes a straw that breaks the camel's back.—Alex Harrington, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025 According to the Crockett County Sheriff’s Department, authorities were called to the Tennessee Safari Park on reports that a guest had been bitten by a camel.—Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 15 Apr. 2025 While camels are common across Salalah, seeing flamingoes is not always guaranteed.—Emese MacZko, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025 Comments Amy Slaton is breaking her silence on getting arrested on drug and child endangerment charges shortly after being bitten by a camel at a Tennessee zoo in the season 7 trailer for TLC’s 1000-Lb.—EW.com, 25 Mar. 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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