Camel

How to spell camel

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce camel

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does camel mean?

1. nounA large desert mammal with one or two humps on its back, used for transport and carrying loads.

Camel in a sentence

• The camel carried supplies across the dry plain for two days.

• A camel can store fat in its hump and survive long stretches without water.

Where does camel come from?

Language of origin: Hebrew

The word comes ultimately from a Semitic source: Hebrew gamal and Arabic jamal, both naming the large desert animal, are close relatives. The name passed into Greek as kamelos and then into Latin as camelus, keeping the same meaning. Old English borrowed an early form, and the modern spelling settled through Latin and Old French influence in the medieval period. Because the animal was familiar across the trading and biblical worlds, the word spread widely and changed little. The simple two-syllable shape we use today reflects that long, stable journey from the ancient Near East into everyday English.

How the word is built

• camel (single root, no affixes)