camello
“camello” means “camel” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
camel
Also: dromedary
📝 In Action
Los camellos pueden pasar muchos días sin beber agua.
A2Camels can go many days without drinking water.
Vimos un camello cerca de las pirámides.
A1We saw a camel near the pyramids.
drug dealer
Also: pusher
📝 In Action
La policía detuvo al camello del barrio.
B2The police arrested the neighborhood drug dealer.
job
Also: hard work
📝 In Action
Estoy buscando un camello para las vacaciones.
C1I'm looking for a job for the holidays.
¡Qué camello fue subir todas esas cajas!
C2What hard work it was moving all those boxes!
Vocabulary Collections
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: camello
Question 1 of 2
If you are in Bogotá and someone says 'Tengo mucho camello,' what do they mean?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin 'camelus', which came from the Greek 'kamelos', originally borrowed from Semitic languages (like Arabic 'jamal').
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'camello' the same as 'dromedario'?
In everyday Spanish, many people use 'camello' for both. However, technically a 'camello' has two humps and a 'dromedario' has only one.
Is it offensive to use the word 'camello'?
When referring to the animal or 'work' (in Colombia), it's fine. However, calling a person a 'camello' in Spain usually implies they are a drug dealer, which is very offensive.