'camelid' originates from Modern Latin, specifically the family-name 'Camelidae,' where the suffix '-id' meant 'a member of a family or group' and 'camel-' traced back to Latin 'camelus' meaning 'camel' (from Greek 'kamēlos').

'camelid' changed from the New Latin zoological family name 'Camelidae' and entered English as a derivative referring to an individual member, eventually becoming the modern English word 'camelid'.

Initially, it meant 'a member of the camel family,' and this meaning has remained stable in modern usage.