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

Their ability to survive and spread in the aftermath of the dinosaur extinction makes them a key group for understanding how reptiles adapted during a period of dramatic environmental change.

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Fish such as wolf fish, peacock bass, and South American lungfish were especially common, accompanied by reptiles including caimans and turtles, and mammals such as capybaras, pacas, and armadillos.

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The tuatara also maintains large palatal teeth, which further highlight its links to early reptiles.

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"We've never been able to look at the appearance of a large prehistoric reptile like this -- and just in time for Halloween."

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This includes a "dinosaur tartare" meant to recreate the taste of extinct reptiles.

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