An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Kamel
Kamel, neuter, ‘camel,’ from Latin camêlus; in Middle High German kemmel, këmel, which point to the Byzantine and Modern Greek pronunciation of Greek κάμηλος, and hence to κάμιλος (the e of kemel is produced by i- mutation from a). The Modern High German word is a more recent scholarly term, borrowed anew from Latin (compare French chameau, Italian camello), while the Middle High German word was brought back from the Crusades, and hence is due to immediate contact with the East. Moreover, at San Rossore, near Pisa, a breed of camels has existed from the Crusades down to modern times, some of which are exhibited in Europe as curiosities. In the Old Teutonic period there was, curiously enough, a peculiar word for ‘camel’ current in most of the dialects, which corresponded to Greek ἐλεφαντ-, Gothic ulbandus, Anglo-Saxon olfend, Old High German olbenta, Middle High German olbent; allied to Old Slovenian velĭbądŭ, ‘camel.’ The history of this word is quite obscure.