Merriam-Webster traces English giraffe through Italian giraffa to Arabic zirāfa.
These are the forms supplied by the cited entry; the puzzle does not extend the route beyond its evidence.
giraffe
A long-necked African mammal with a patterned coat.
A tall animal with a travelled name
How giraffe reached English
oldest firstSimplified path. The puzzle showed the main steps; the full route is being checked.
Arabic
zirāfa
‘The animal’
into Italian
Italian
giraffa
‘The animal’
into English
English
giraffe
‘The animal’
The story of giraffe
Related
The Italian and English endings differ while much of the borrowed form remains recognisable.