زرافة

See also: زرافه

Arabic

Etymology 1

From Classical Syriac ܙܪܝܦܐ (zārīp̄ā), variant of ܙܪܢܦܐ (zarnāp̄ā); ultimately from Classical Persian زُرنَاپَا (zurnāpā), a compound of زُرنَا (zurnā, “flute, zurna”) and پَا (pā, “leg”).

Not a cognate of Ge'ez ዘራት (zärat), ዛራት (zarat), Tigre ዝዖታ (zəʿota), Tigrinya ዝዖታ (zəʿota), Blin ድዖታ (dəʿṓtā), Saho ዞዖታ (zoʿṓtā), Amharic ጅራተ ቀጭን (ǧəratä ḳäč̣č̣ən, literally “thin-tail”), Somali geri, Saho ገረ (garā), Afar garaa, Xamtanga jeraa, all meaning “giraffe” and referring to its remarkable “tail”, Amharic ጅራት (ǧərat).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /za.raː.fa/, /zu.raː.fa/

Noun

زَرَافَة or زُرَافَة • (zarāfa or zurāfa) f (plural زَرَافَى (zarāfā) or زُرَافَى (zurāfā) or زَرَائِف (zarāʔif) or زَرَاف (zarāf))

1. giraffe (mammal)

Declension

Declension of noun زَرَافَة (zarāfa)‎; زُرَافَة (zurāfa)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	زَرَافَة‎; زُرَافَة zarāfa‎; zurāfa	الزَّرَافَة‎; الزُّرَافَة az-zarāfa‎; az-zurāfa	زَرَافَة‎; زُرَافَة zarāfat‎; zurāfat
Nominative	زَرَافَةٌ‎; زُرَافَةٌ zarāfatun‎; zurāfatun	الزَّرَافَةُ‎; الزُّرَافَةُ az-zarāfatu‎; az-zurāfatu	زَرَافَةُ‎; زُرَافَةُ zarāfatu‎; zurāfatu
Accusative	زَرَافَةً‎; زُرَافَةً zarāfatan‎; zurāfatan	الزَّرَافَةَ‎; الزُّرَافَةَ az-zarāfata‎; az-zurāfata	زَرَافَةَ‎; زُرَافَةَ zarāfata‎; zurāfata
Genitive	زَرَافَةٍ‎; زُرَافَةٍ zarāfatin‎; zurāfatin	الزَّرَافَةِ‎; الزُّرَافَةِ az-zarāfati‎; az-zurāfati	زَرَافَةِ‎; زُرَافَةِ zarāfati‎; zurāfati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	زَرَافَتَيْن‎; زُرَافَتَيْن zarāfatayn‎; zurāfatayn	الزَّرَافَتَيْن‎; الزُّرَافَتَيْن az-zarāfatayn‎; az-zurāfatayn	زَرَافَتَيْ‎; زُرَافَتَيْ zarāfatay‎; zurāfatay
Nominative	زَرَافَتَانِ‎; زُرَافَتَانِ zarāfatāni‎; zurāfatāni	الزَّرَافَتَانِ‎; الزُّرَافَتَانِ az-zarāfatāni‎; az-zurāfatāni	زَرَافَتَا‎; زُرَافَتَا zarāfatā‎; zurāfatā
Accusative	زَرَافَتَيْنِ‎; زُرَافَتَيْنِ zarāfatayni‎; zurāfatayni	الزَّرَافَتَيْنِ‎; الزُّرَافَتَيْنِ az-zarāfatayni‎; az-zurāfatayni	زَرَافَتَيْ‎; زُرَافَتَيْ zarāfatay‎; zurāfatay
Genitive	زَرَافَتَيْنِ‎; زُرَافَتَيْنِ zarāfatayni‎; zurāfatayni	الزَّرَافَتَيْنِ‎; الزُّرَافَتَيْنِ az-zarāfatayni‎; az-zurāfatayni	زَرَافَتَيْ‎; زُرَافَتَيْ zarāfatay‎; zurāfatay
Plural	broken plural invariable‎; basic broken plural diptote‎; basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	زَرَافَى‎; زُرَافَى‎; زَرَائِف‎; زَرَاف zarāfā‎; zurāfā‎; zarāʔif‎; zarāf	الزَّرَافَى‎; الزُّرَافَى‎; الزَّرَائِف‎; الزَّرَاف az-zarāfā‎; az-zurāfā‎; az-zarāʔif‎; az-zarāf	زَرَافَى‎; زُرَافَى‎; زَرَائِف‎; زَرَاف zarāfā‎; zurāfā‎; zarāʔif‎; zarāf
Nominative	زَرَافَى‎; زُرَافَى‎; زَرَائِفُ‎; زَرَافٌ zarāfā‎; zurāfā‎; zarāʔifu‎; zarāfun	الزَّرَافَى‎; الزُّرَافَى‎; الزَّرَائِفُ‎; الزَّرَافُ az-zarāfā‎; az-zurāfā‎; az-zarāʔifu‎; az-zarāfu	زَرَافَى‎; زُرَافَى‎; زَرَائِفُ‎; زَرَافُ zarāfā‎; zurāfā‎; zarāʔifu‎; zarāfu
Accusative	زَرَافَى‎; زُرَافَى‎; زَرَائِفَ‎; زَرَافًا zarāfā‎; zurāfā‎; zarāʔifa‎; zarāfan	الزَّرَافَى‎; الزُّرَافَى‎; الزَّرَائِفَ‎; الزَّرَافَ az-zarāfā‎; az-zurāfā‎; az-zarāʔifa‎; az-zarāfa	زَرَافَى‎; زُرَافَى‎; زَرَائِفَ‎; زَرَافَ zarāfā‎; zurāfā‎; zarāʔifa‎; zarāfa
Genitive	زَرَافَى‎; زُرَافَى‎; زَرَائِفَ‎; زَرَافٍ zarāfā‎; zurāfā‎; zarāʔifa‎; zarāfin	الزَّرَافَى‎; الزُّرَافَى‎; الزَّرَائِفِ‎; الزَّرَافِ az-zarāfā‎; az-zurāfā‎; az-zarāʔifi‎; az-zarāfi	زَرَافَى‎; زُرَافَى‎; زَرَائِفِ‎; زَرَافِ zarāfā‎; zurāfā‎; zarāʔifi‎; zarāfi

Descendants

• Maltese: żrafa (obsolete)
• Moroccan Arabic: زرافة (zrāfa)
• → Blin: ዘራፍ (zarā́f)
• → Italian: giraffa
  • → Czech: žirafa
  • → Maltese: ġiraff
  • → Middle French: giraffe
    • French: girafe
      • → Catalan: girafa
      • → Luxembourgish: Giraff
      • → Polish: żyrafa
      • → Romanian: girafă f
      • → Russian: жираф (žiraf)
        • → Georgian: ჟირაფი (žirapi)
        • → Ingrian: žirafa
      • → Swedish: giraff
        • → Finnish: kirahvi
    • → English: giraffe
  • → Middle High German: geraff, seraffe, schraffe
    • German: Giraffe
      • → Danish: giraf
      • → Dutch: giraf, giraffe
      • → Hungarian: zsiráf
  • → Portuguese: girafa
  • → Spanish: jirafa
    • → Basque: jirafa
    • → Central Huasteca Nahuatl: jirafa
• → Spanish: azorafa
• → Sicilian: zirafa
• → Tigre: ዘራፍ (zäraf)
• → Tigrinya: ዘራፍ (zäraf)

Etymology 2

From the concept of a giraffe being an amalgam of several animals jointly; compare Persian شترگاوپلنگ (šotorgâvpalang, “giraffe”, literally “camel-ox-leopard”) and Ancient Greek καμηλοπάρδαλῐς (kamēlopárdalis, “giraffe”).

Noun

زَرَافَة • (zarāfa) f (plural زَرَافَات (zarāfāt))

1. group of people, cluster of people, body of people

   زَرَافَاتٍ وَ‌وُحْدَانًا ― zarāfātin wa-wuḥdānan ― jointly and severally; in groups and alone

Declension

Declension of noun زَرَافَة (zarāfa)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	زَرَافَة zarāfa	الزَّرَافَة az-zarāfa	زَرَافَة zarāfat
Nominative	زَرَافَةٌ zarāfatun	الزَّرَافَةُ az-zarāfatu	زَرَافَةُ zarāfatu
Accusative	زَرَافَةً zarāfatan	الزَّرَافَةَ az-zarāfata	زَرَافَةَ zarāfata
Genitive	زَرَافَةٍ zarāfatin	الزَّرَافَةِ az-zarāfati	زَرَافَةِ zarāfati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	زَرَافَتَيْن zarāfatayn	الزَّرَافَتَيْن az-zarāfatayn	زَرَافَتَيْ zarāfatay
Nominative	زَرَافَتَانِ zarāfatāni	الزَّرَافَتَانِ az-zarāfatāni	زَرَافَتَا zarāfatā
Accusative	زَرَافَتَيْنِ zarāfatayni	الزَّرَافَتَيْنِ az-zarāfatayni	زَرَافَتَيْ zarāfatay
Genitive	زَرَافَتَيْنِ zarāfatayni	الزَّرَافَتَيْنِ az-zarāfatayni	زَرَافَتَيْ zarāfatay
Plural	sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	زَرَافَات zarāfāt	الزَّرَافَات az-zarāfāt	زَرَافَات zarāfāt
Nominative	زَرَافَاتٌ zarāfātun	الزَّرَافَاتُ az-zarāfātu	زَرَافَاتُ zarāfātu
Accusative	زَرَافَاتٍ zarāfātin	الزَّرَافَاتِ az-zarāfāti	زَرَافَاتِ zarāfāti
Genitive	زَرَافَاتٍ zarāfātin	الزَّرَافَاتِ az-zarāfāti	زَرَافَاتِ zarāfāti

References

• Hommel, Fritz (1879) Die Namen der Säugethiere bei den südsemitischen Völkern als Beiträge zur arabischen und äthiopischen Lexicographie, zur semitischen Kulturforschung und Sprachvergleichung und zur Geschichte der Mittelmeerfauna. Mit steter Berücksichtigung auch der assyrischen und hebräischen Thiernamen und geographischen und literaturgeschichtlichen Excursen‎^[1] (in German), Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung, pages 230–231
• Lagarde, Paul de (1866) Gesammelte Abhandlungen (in German), Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus, page 47
• Lane, Edward William (1863) “زرافة”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎^[2], London: Williams & Norgate, pages 1226–1227
• Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 644
• Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[3] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, page 57