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n. 1. Either of two chiefly domesticated ruminant mammals of the genus Camelus, the Bactrian camel or the dromedary, having a humped back and long neck, and used in northern Africa, the Middle East, and Asia as a beast of burden and a source of wool, milk, and meat. 2. 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. Sports A spin in figure skating that is performed in an arabesque or modified arabesque position. 4. A tan or yellowish brown. [Middle English, from Old English and from Anglo-Norman cameil, both from Latin camēlus, from Greek kamēlos, of Semitic origin; see gml1 in the Appendix of Semitic roots.] |
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