means a wild African horse-like animal famous for its bold black-and-white striped coat.

from From Italian or Portuguese 'zebra,' which sailors and traders carried into European languages. The trail runs back through Old Portuguese 'zevra,' meaning a wild ass, and likely all the way to a Latin word like 'equiferus' — 'wild horse' (equus 'horse' + ferus 'wild'). So before it ever named the striped one, the word simply meant 'untamed beast that runs like a horse.'