noun
IF A MOBILE CRANE AND A CAMEL HAD A BABY
This animal’s name comes from the Arabic word “zarafah”, meaning “fast-walker”. Although giraffes are capable of running up to 35-37 mph, they do it in short bursts only, and rarely. They aren’t built for it. How often do you see stilt-walkers signing up for 5Ks? Beyond that, a giraffe typically just saunters around like an oaf — an elegant oaf, but an oaf all the same. The person who coined the term “giraffe” must have been impressed by how quickly they could get from point A to point B simply because of the length of their legs. So, “long-walker”.
2. In 1487, the Sultan of Egypt gifted Lorenzo de’Medici with a giraffe. Although it endeared itself to the citizens of Florence who would happily give it treats through their upper-story windows, it got its head stuck in a barn rafter. Dead.
3. Speaking of dead, I once saw a dead giraffe in Hudson, NY. I guess the status symbol that makes them good pets also makes them attractive taxidermy.