# Camel



## shannenms

It is interesting that Camal is much similar to Arabic Jamal, but completely different from the Persian and Sanskrit equivalent.
Persian: Shotor or Oshtor
Arabic: Jamal
Greek Kamelos


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## בעל-חלומות

*Hebrew:* גמל (gamal)

I also want to ask, if I may, what do the roots of the Arabic and Persian words mean. It will be interesting to see if they are similar. The Hebrew root (ג.מ.ל) can mean either "reward" or "the opposite of addicion". If the Arabic root has this second meaning too, I wonder if the word גמל actually mean "an animal that is not addicted to water" or something to that effect.


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## kusurija

In Czech:
Velbloud (Latin: Camelus; Engl.: Camel) 
velký = big
bloud = deluser, fool, strayed
big strayer
(more see in thread http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=692313  or http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=232390&page=3 )
Drabař (Latin: Camelus bactrianus)
Dromedár (Latin: Camelus dromedarius)

In Lithuanian: 
Kupranugaris
kupra = hump
nugara = back


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## Mahaodeh

shannenms said:


> It is interesting that Camal is much similar to Arabic Jamal, but completely different from the Persian and Sanskrit equivalent.
> Persian: Shotor or Oshtor
> Arabic: Jamal
> Greek Kamelos


 
Well camel came to English from either Hebrew or Arabic via Greek, so it's not really strange that they have similar words.  The word is generally semetic for a fully grown male camel.



בעל-חלומות said:


> *Hebrew:* גמל (gamal)
> 
> I also want to ask, if I may, what do the roots of the Arabic and Persian words mean. It will be interesting to see if they are similar. The Hebrew root (ג.מ.ל) can mean either "reward" or "the opposite of addicion". If the Arabic root has this second meaning too, I wonder if the word גמל actually mean "an animal that is not addicted to water" or something to that effect.


 
The root in Arabic means "full/all/as a whole" or "beauty". But since the word exists in most semetic languages including: *Akkadian:* _gamalu _*Hebrew:* _gāmāl _*Aramaic:* _gamlā _*Mandaic Aramaic:* _gumla _*Arabic:* _j__amal _*South Arabian:* _gml_; I'd say that it's highly likely to be proto-semetic.


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## jazyk

Portuguese: camelo.


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## Kraus

Italian: cammello.


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## robbie_SWE

Romanian:

*cămilă*

Swedish: 

*kamel* 

 robbie


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## panjabigator

Hindi/Urdu:  uu.nTh
Panjabi:  uTTh, Daachii


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## spakh

Turkish: deve
Hungarian: teve 

same origin


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## papillon

kusurija said:


> In Czech:
> Velbloud (Latin: Camelus; Engl.: Camel)
> velký = big
> bloud = deluser, fool, strayed
> big strayer


I find this etymology a bit unconvincing. The closely matching Russian version of this word, Verblud, Verbliud (Cyr: Верблюд) is traced by M. Fasmer, a Russian etymologist, through a complex series of sound changes, to the Gothic _ulbandus_, which, according to him, derives from a version of a Greek word for elephant. 

Therefore, if you believe this, the Czech and Russian words for camel are etymologically related to the word _elephant_.


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## kusurija

spakh said:


> Turkish: deve
> Hungarian: teve
> 
> same origin


 
In Slovak: ťava
(similar to Hungarian)

To papillon : You are absolutely  right.


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## Nizo

In *Esperanto*, kamelo.


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## peri+kleos

> Greek Kamelos


Kamelos is in Ancient Greek. In modern Greek is Kamila.


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## Lingvisten

Danish: kamel


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## Nanon

French: chameau
This word can refer to an unfriendly person (_"Ah, quel chameau !"_). Does it have this use in other languages?


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## Kangy

In Spanish: *camello*


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## Hal1fax

kusurija said:


> In Czech:
> Velbloud



Similar to Polish
Polish: Wielbłąd


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## noncasper

Vietnamse : Con lạc đà


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## pickypuck

Nanon said:


> French: chameau
> This word can refer to an unfriendly person (_"Ah, quel chameau !"_). Does it have this use in other languages?


 
In Spanish it can refer to a drug dealer. So not an unfriendly but a despicable person.

Salut!


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## Zsanna

Nanon said:


> French: chameau
> This word can refer to an unfriendly person (_"Ah, quel chameau !"_). Does it have this use in other languages?


 
In Hungarian it does not have any other meaning usually. However, one could say it about somebody who puts up with not drinking (water) in a way comparison. ('S/He is like a camel.')


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## xebonyx

Mahaodeh said:


> Well camel came to English from either Hebrew or Arabic via Greek, so it's not really strange that they have similar words.  The word is generally semetic for a fully grown male camel.
> 
> 
> 
> The root in Arabic means "full/all/as a whole" or "beauty". But since the word exists in most semetic languages including: *Akkadian:* _gamalu _*Hebrew:* _gāmāl _*Aramaic:* _gamlā _*Mandaic Aramaic:* _gumla _*Arabic:* _j__amal _*South Arabian:* _gml_; I'd say that it's highly likely to be proto-semetic.



My response isn't too relevant, but just in case the thread starter wanted an extensive translation, the female counterpart is _"naaqa",_with appropriate phonological alterations made according to the location. But as with most things, the male version will always be used as the default reference.


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## Qcumber

There is another Arabic term for "camel": 2ibl(un) / 2ibil(un) pl. 2aabaal(u).
> 2abbaal(un) "camel-herd".


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## Qcumber

In Sanskrit the term *úsht.ra* means "camel" or "buffalo".
Its theorical root is _ush_, but the only _ush_ entered in the dictionary means "burning". So it could well be a loan word.


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## Qcumber

It was *camel* in 13th-century French, also spelt *chamel*. English borrowed its term from Medieval French.


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## Trisia

robbie_SWE said:


> Romanian:
> *cămilă*


True, may I add one more? 

*Cămilă* is what we call the two-humped camel (_Camelus bactrianus_)
*Dromader* is the one-humped camel (_Camelus dromedarius_)


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## Mahaodeh

Qcumber said:


> There is another Arabic term for "camel": 2ibl(un) / 2ibil(un) pl. 2aabaal(u).
> > 2abbaal(un) "camel-herd".


 
Ibil is the plural, it has no singular.  I'm not quite sure what the many words you gave are; I also know know what (un) and (u) mean.


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## WadiH

Mahaodeh said:


> Ibil is the plural, it has no singular. I'm not quite sure what the many words you gave are; I also know know what (un) and (u) mean.


 
A single camel is called _ba'iir_ بعير. _Jamal_ refers to a male camel, and _nagah/naqah_ is a female camel.  Arabic, of course, has countless words for various types of camels at various stages of development.


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## Qcumber

Mahaodeh said:


> Ibil is the plural, it has no singular. I'm not quite sure what the many words you gave are; I also know know what (un) and (u) mean.


Perhaps I should give more details.

*2ibil *and its doublet *2ibl* are collectives.
Their declension in the indefinite nominative is -*un*.
*2aabaal* is the plural of these collectives.
Its declension in the indefinite nominative is -*u*.

They are entered in Kazimirski's dictionary (1860).
Many derivatives follow.

*2aabil* "the man who knows how to take care of camels"
*2abbaal* "camel drover, camel-herd (cf. shepherd)" 
*2abuul* "herd, flock"
*2ibbaul* "camel caravan"
*2iblii* "that pertains to camels, cameline"
*ma2bala(t)* "a country with many camels"

There are other *2bl* roots, but they are unrelated to camels: abstention from sexual intercourse, calamity, fodder, hatred.


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## Maja

In Serbian: *kamila*.


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