cameleopard, noun

Forms:
Also cameleopardalis.
Origin:
English, modern Latin, Greek, South African EnglishShow more General English, adaptation (influenced by English leopard) of modern Latin camelopardus, camelopardalis, from Greek kamelos camel + pardalis leopard. This term survived in South African English long after it had disappeared elsewhere.
obs.
The giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis of the Giraffidae; camel; kameel. Also attributive.
1802 Truter & Somerville in G.M. Theal Rec. of Cape Col. (1899) IV. 393We passed in the night the place where on the 29th of October we had seen the cameleopards.
1806 J. Barrow Trav. I. 349He boasted that, in one excursion, he had killed seven cameleopardales and three white rhinosceroses.
1819 G.M. Keith Voy. 69Among the quadrupeds of this country are antelopes,..buffaloes, cameleopards.
1827 G. Barker Journal. 27 Jan.Went to see a Camel Leopard which a man had caught when quite young.
1838 J.E. Alexander Exped. into Int. II. 200The word was passed that two cameleopards were in sight,..two of these most graceful and long necked animals were seen gazing towards us, and ‘craning’ over the tops of the bushes.
1840 C.A. Kinloch in Echo 9 Nov. 5Shifting our camp by short marches of ten or twelve miles, we continued to hunt the Eland and the Camel-leopard.
1841 B. Shaw Memorials 312The giraffe, or cameleopard, is found in Great Namacqua-land.
1850 N.J. Merriman Cape Jrnls (1957) 133The cameleopard-soled veldschoons in which I had trusted, turned out quite a failure.
a1875 T. Baines Jrnl of Res. (1964) II. 47A wooden sheath, round which were plaited three bands of cameleopard’s hair.
The giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis of the Giraffidae; camel; kameel. Also attributive.
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camel, nounn.camel-thorn, nounn.
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