English 'gazelle' from French, from Arabic 'ghazāl' (a young deer/gazelle) — an animal that symbolizes grace and beauty in Arabic poetry.
A small, slender antelope native to Africa and Asia, known for its graceful movement and large eyes.
From French gazelle, from Old French gazel, from Arabic غزال (ġazāl, "gazelle"), a word deeply embedded in classical Arabic poetry where the gazelle is the supreme figure for beauty, grace, and the beloved. The Arabic term may ultimately derive from a Semitic root *g-z-l related to spinning or turning — referencing the animal's characteristic spinning flight when pursued — though this etymology is uncertain. Some scholars have proposed a connection to the Aramaic form, suggesting the word may have entered Arabic from an earlier Semitic substrate. The word entered European languages through multiple channels: the
In Arabic poetry, calling someone a 'ghazāl' (gazelle) is one of the highest compliments — it praises grace, beauty, and luminous dark eyes. The poetic form called a 'ghazal' (a sequence of rhyming couplets on the theme of love and loss) takes its name from the same root. Gazelles can reach speeds of 96 km/h (60 mph), making them among the fastest land animals, and their ability to sustain high speeds over long distances