Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word 기린. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word 기린, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say 기린 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word 기린 you have here. The definition of the word 기린 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of기린, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Sino-Korean word from 麒麟. The archaic sense of legendary animal is attested in the two-millennia old Confucianist Classic of Rites that reads bonghwang-girin (鳳凰麒麟).[1] Since Admiral Zheng He brought a giraffe from Somalia to China in 1414, this Hanja word was equated with Somali geri or the like meaning "giraffe" then (SeeCitations:기린), which on the other hand may have influenced the etymology of Italian giraffa (since Medici giraffe in 1486) and its European derivatives via Arabic زَرَافَة(zarāfa).
