Gila monster

noun

1. a large, venomous lizard, Heloderma suspectum, of the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico, covered with beadlike scales of yellow, orange, and black.

Gila monster

/ ˈhiːlə /

noun

1. a large venomous brightly coloured lizard, Heloderma suspectum, inhabiting deserts of the southwestern US and Mexico and feeding mostly on eggs and small mammals: family Helodermatidae

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gila monster¹

1875–80, after Gila

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gila monster¹

C19: after the Gila, a river in New Mexico and Arizona