galliwasp

American

[gal-uh-wosp] / ˈgæl əˌwɒsp /

noun

any of numerous scaly marsh lizards of the genus Diploglossus, inhabiting Central America and the West Indies.

galliwasp British

/ ˈɡælɪˌwɒsp /

noun

any lizard of the Central American genus Diploglossus, esp D. monotropis of the Caribbean: family Anguidae

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of galliwasp

First recorded in 1715–25; earlier gallivache (1683), of unexplained origin; apparently assimilated to gally, wasp

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the Caribbean, for example, the Jamaican rock iguana and a lizard called the blue-tailed galliwasp are critically endangered.

From Reuters

Jamaica giant galliwasp: Introduced predators, such as mongooses, killed off this lizard species.

From Washington Post

Galliwasp, gal′i-wasp, n. a West Indian lizard.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023