jirafa

Basque

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-der.?

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂der.?

Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂-der.?

Classical Persian زُرْنَا (zurnā)

Proto-Indo-European *ped-

Proto-Indo-European *-s

Proto-Indo-European *pṓds

Proto-Indo-Iranian *pā́ts

Proto-Iranian *pā́dah

Old Persian 𐎱𐎠𐎭 (p-a-d)

Classical Persian پَا (pā)

Classical Persian زُرْنَاپَا (zurnāpā)bor.

Classical Syriac ܙܪܝܦܐ (zārīp̄ā)bor.

Arabic زُرَافَة (zurāfa)bor.

Italian giraffabor.

Spanish jirafabor.

Basque jirafa

Borrowed from Spanish jirafa, from Italian giraffa, from Arabic زَرَافَة (zarāfa).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Navarro-Lapurdian) /ɟiɾafa/ [ɟi.ɾa.fa]

 

• IPA^(key): (Southern) /xiɾafa/ [xi.ɾa.fa]

• IPA^(key): (Gipuzkoan) /xiɾafa/ [xi.ɾa.fa]
• IPA^(key): (Biscayan) /d͡ʒiɾafa/ [d͡ʒi.ɾa.fa]
• IPA^(key): (Navarrese) /jiɾafa/ [ji.ɾa.fa]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -afa, -a
• Hyphenation: ji‧ra‧fa

Noun

jirafa anim

1. giraffe

Declension

Declension of jirafa (anim a-stem)

	indefinite	singular	plural	proximal plural
absolutive	jirafa	jirafa	jirafak	jirafok
ergative	jirafak	jirafak	jirafek	jirafok
dative	jirafari	jirafari	jirafei	jirafoi
genitive	jirafaren	jirafaren	jirafen	jirafon
comitative	jirafarekin	jirafarekin	jirafekin	jirafokin
causative	jirafarengatik	jirafarengatik	jirafengatik	jirafongatik
benefactive	jirafarentzat	jirafarentzat	jirafentzat	jirafontzat
instrumental	jirafaz	jirafaz	jirafez	jirafotaz
innesive	jirafarengan	jirafarengan	jirafengan	jirafongan
locative	—	—	—	—
allative	jirafarengana	jirafarengana	jirafengana	jirafongana
terminative	jirafarenganaino	jirafarenganaino	jirafenganaino	jirafonganaino
directive	jirafarenganantz	jirafarenganantz	jirafenganantz	jirafonganantz
destinative	jirafarenganako	jirafarenganako	jirafenganako	jirafonganako
ablative	jirafarengandik	jirafarengandik	jirafengandik	jirafongandik
partitive	jirafarik	—	—	—
prolative	jirafatzat	—	—	—

Further reading

• “jirafa”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]
• “jirafa”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Central Huasteca Nahuatl

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-der.?

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂der.?

Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂-der.?

Classical Persian زُرْنَا (zurnā)

Proto-Indo-European *ped-

Proto-Indo-European *-s

Proto-Indo-European *pṓds

Proto-Indo-Iranian *pā́ts

Proto-Iranian *pā́dah

Old Persian 𐎱𐎠𐎭 (p-a-d)

Classical Persian پَا (pā)

Classical Persian زُرْنَاپَا (zurnāpā)bor.

Classical Syriac ܙܪܝܦܐ (zārīp̄ā)bor.

Arabic زُرَافَة (zurāfa)bor.

Italian giraffabor.

Spanish jirafabor.

Central Huasteca Nahuatl jirafa

From Spanish jirafa.

Noun

jirafa

1. giraffe.

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-der.?

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂der.?

Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂-der.?

Classical Persian زُرْنَا (zurnā)

Proto-Indo-European *ped-

Proto-Indo-European *-s

Proto-Indo-European *pṓds

Proto-Indo-Iranian *pā́ts

Proto-Iranian *pā́dah

Old Persian 𐎱𐎠𐎭 (p-a-d)

Classical Persian پَا (pā)

Classical Persian زُرْنَاپَا (zurnāpā)bor.

Classical Syriac ܙܪܝܦܐ (zārīp̄ā)bor.

Arabic زُرَافَة (zurāfa)bor.

Italian giraffabor.

Spanish jirafa

Borrowed from Italian giraffa, from Arabic زَرَافَة (zarāfa). Compare the obsolete doublet azorafa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xiˈɾafa/ [xiˈɾa.fa]

• Audio (Spain):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -afa
• Syllabification: ji‧ra‧fa

Noun

jirafa f (plural jirafas)

1. giraffe

   Synonym: (obsolete) azorafa

2. boom microphone

Derived terms

• mujer jirafa

Descendants

• → Basque: jirafa
• → Central Huasteca Nahuatl: jirafa

Further reading

• “jirafa”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Uzbek

Other scripts

Arabic (Yangi Imlo)
Cyrillic	жирафа‍
Latin	jirafa‍
Afghan Uzbek

Alternative forms

• jiraf

Etymology

Ultimately from Arabic زَرَافَة (zarāfa), via Russian жирафа (žirafa). Doublet of zirofa (“giraffe”).

Noun

jirafa (plural jirafalar)

1. giraffe

   Synonym: zirofa