reptile

[rep-tahyl, -til]

noun

1. any cold-blooded vertebrate of the class Reptilia, comprising the turtles, snakes, lizards, crocodilians, amphisbaenians, tuatara, and various extinct members including the dinosaurs.

2. (loosely) any of various animals that crawl or creep.

3. a groveling, mean, or despicable person.

adjective

1. of or resembling a reptile; creeping or crawling.

2. groveling, mean, or despicable.

reptile

/ ˈrɛptaɪl /

noun

1. any of the cold-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Reptilia , characterized by lungs, an outer covering of horny scales or plates, and young produced in amniotic eggs. The class today includes the tortoises, turtles, snakes, lizards, and crocodiles; in Mesozoic times it was the dominant group, containing the dinosaurs and related forms

2. a grovelling insignificant person

   you miserable little reptile!

adjective

1. creeping, crawling, or squirming

2. grovelling or insignificant; mean; contemptible

reptile

1. Any of various cold-blooded vertebrates of the class Reptilia, having skin covered with scales or horny plates, breathing air with lungs, and usually having a three-chambered heart. Unlike amphibians, whose eggs are fertilized outside the female body, reptiles reproduce by eggs that are fertilized inside the female. Though once varied, widespread, and numerous, reptilian lineages, including the pterosaurs, ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and dinosaurs, have mostly become extinct (though birds are living descendants of dinosaurs). The earliest reptiles were the cotylosaurs (or stem reptiles) of the late Mississippian or early Pennsylvanian Period, from which mammals evolved. Modern reptiles include crocodiles, snakes, turtles, and lizards.

Other Word Forms

• reptilelike adjective
• reptiloid adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of reptile¹

1350–1400; Middle English reptil < Late Latin rēptile, noun use of neuter of rēptilis creeping, equivalent to Latin rēpt ( us ) (past participle of rēpere to creep) + -ilis -ile

Word History and Origins

Origin of reptile¹

C14: from Late Latin reptilis creeping, from Latin rēpere to crawl

Example Sentences

Usually one of the world's most aggressive reptiles, the animal is largely limp as he holds it by the neck and lifts it for the camera.

From BBC

Besides the turtles, Lin also exported 11 other parcels filled with reptiles, including venomous snakes, according to the Justice Department.

From BBC

Teeth marks made on the leg bone of a large avian reptile known as a terror bird 13 million years ago suggest an even bigger predator may have killed it, scientists say.

From BBC

Insect loss is linked to intensive agriculture, pesticides and climate change, with far-reaching consequences for the many birds, amphibians, bats and reptiles that rely on insects for food.

From BBC

We need to take care of the animals we have right now,” said Carpenter, the reptile keeper.

From Los Angeles Times