Tower
collective noun /ˈtaʊər/ — What you call a group of giraffes — because 'herd' would never do them justice.
Definition
The collective noun for a group of giraffes. Standing up to 5.5 metres tall, giraffes are the tallest living terrestrial animals — a group of them is, quite literally, a tower.
Beyond the definition
Giraffes moving together across the savannah are one of the great visual experiences on earth. A tower says it perfectly — not herd, not flock, not pack. Something architecturally improbable, graceful, and enormous.
Origin & history
From Old French toour — a tall structure (Latin turris). The collective noun is purely visual: a group of giraffes resembles a cluster of living towers against the horizon.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
A tower of giraffes crossed the road in front of the jeep, unhurried and magnificent.
The tower browsed the acacia canopy that nothing else could reach.
At dusk, the tower silhouetted against the orange sky looked like architecture.
How to use it
Follow this entry’s examples for grammatical form and sentence placement.
Choose “Tower” when the meaning fits your context: The collective noun for a group of giraffes. Standing up to 5.5 metres tall, giraffes are the tallest living terrestrial animals — a group of them is, quite literally, a tower.
Synonyms
group, herd, corps
Related words
Word in the Wild
Illustrative story: an imagined scene, not a documented event or interview.
A child on her first safari was old enough to be patient but not quite old enough to be prepared. When the first giraffe appeared from behind the acacia — then a second, then four more — she stopped talking entirely.
Her father glanced at her. She was staring. Her mouth was slightly open.
"Tower," the guide said quietly. "A tower of giraffes." The child repeated it without looking away. The word and the sight of them, she said later, arrived at exactly the same moment. The word felt like the right size for the thing.
Questions about this word
What does "Tower" mean?
Tower is collective noun meaning: What you call a group of giraffes — because 'herd' would never do them justice.. The collective noun for a group of giraffes. Standing up to 5.5 metres tall, giraffes are the tallest living terrestrial animals — a group of them is, quite literally, a tower.
Where does the word "Tower" come from?
From Old French toour — a tall structure (Latin turris). The collective noun is purely visual: a group of giraffes resembles a cluster of living towers against the horizon.