'algazel' originates from Arabic, specifically the word 'الغزال' (al-ghazāl), where 'al-' is the definite article and 'ghazāl' meant 'gazelle'.

'الغزال' transformed into the Spanish word 'algazel', and eventually became the modern English word 'algazel'.

Initially, it meant 'gazelle', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.