Gazelle
/ɡəˈzɛl/noun
A small, swift antelope found in Africa and Asia.
Did you know?English *gazelle* comes through French from Arabic *ghazāl* (غزال), and the same Arabic word also became the source of the poetic name *ghazal*, a lyric form tied to love and longing.
Etymological Timeline
Arabic (medieval)
Arabic
ghazāl
“a gazelle; also used poetically in love imagery”
12th-13th Century
Old French
gazel / gazele
“a gazelle”
16th Century
English
gazel
“a gazelle”
Modern English
English
gazelle
“a small antelope”