Cinemagraphs are GIFs (looped footage) but look more like images that are alive rather than just moving images. The effect which distinguishes it from the regular GIF (which one would come across frequently on websites like Tumblr – typically used as memes), is subtle motion. Most of the actual footage is frozen, while the movements are isolated in a seamless loop.

Source: Cinemagraphs | QA007 1779