camel

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A humped, long-necked ruminant mammal of the genus Camelus, domesticated in Old World desert regions as a beast of burden and as a source of wool, milk, and meat.
2. n. A device used to raise sunken objects, consisting of a hollow structure that is submerged, attached tightly to the object, and pumped free of water. Also called caisson.
3. n. Sports A spin in figure skating that is performed in an arabesque or modified arabesque position.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A large ruminant quadruped of the family Camelidœ, genus Camelus, used in Asia and Africa as a beast of burden. There are two distinct species of camels: The Arabian camel, C. dromedarius, with one hump, and four callosities on the fore legs and two on the hind legs. It is a native of Arabia, and is now known only in the domesticated state; it is used chiefly in Arabia and Egypt. There are several breeds or artificial varieties. The dromedary is one of these, being simply a “blooded” or thoroughbred camel of great speed and bottom, used as a saddle-animal, and comparing with the heavier and slower varieties as a race-horse does with a cart-horse; it is not a different animal zoologically speaking. The Bactrian camel, C. bactrianus, with two humps, of which there are also different breeds. The name camel is sometimes applied to the species of the American genus Auchenia, as the llama, alpaca, and vicuña, collectively known as the camels of the new world. The Arabian camel is poetically called the ship of the desert. Camels constitute the riches of an Arabian; without them he could not subsist, carry on trade, or travel over sandy deserts. Their milk and flesh are used for food and their hides for leather, and their hair is a valuable article of trade and manufacture. By the camel's power of sustaining abstinence from drink for many days, due to the reserve it can carry in its peculiarly constructed cellular stomach, and of subsisting on a few coarse, dry, prickly plants, it is especially fitted for the parched and barren lands of Asia and Africa. Camels carry from 600 to 1,000 pounds burden.
2. n. A water-tight structure placed beneath a ship or vessel to raise it in the water, in order to assist its passage over a shoal or bar, or to enable it to be navigated in shallow water. It is first filled with water and sunk alongside the vessel, to which it is then secured. As the water is pumped out, the camel gradually rises, lifting the vessel with it. Camels have also been used for raising sunken vessels.
3. n. A French imitation of this fabric; a warm and light woolen cloth with a gloss, but having long hairs standing up upon it. Dict. of Needlework.

Wiktionary

1. n. A beast of burden, much used in desert areas, of the genus Camelus.
2. n. A light brownish color, tan.
3. n. Loaded vessels lashed tightly, one on each side of a another vessel, and then emptied to reduce the draught of the ship in the middle.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) A large ruminant used in Asia and Africa for carrying burdens and for riding. The camel is remarkable for its ability to go a long time without drinking. Its hoofs are small, and situated at the extremities of the toes, and the weight of the animal rests on the callous. The dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) has one bunch on the back, while the Bactrian camel (Camelus Bactrianus) has two. The llama, alpaca, and vicuña, of South America, belong to a related genus (Auchenia).
2. n. (Naut.) A water-tight structure (as a large box or boxes) used to assist a vessel in passing over a shoal or bar or in navigating shallow water. By admitting water, the camel or camels may be sunk and attached beneath or at the sides of a vessel, and when the water is pumped out the vessel is lifted.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. cud-chewing mammal used as a draft or saddle animal in desert regions