Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

goanna

[goh-an-uh]
See more synonyms for goanna on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of the several large monitor lizards of the family Varanidae, of Australia, especially Varanus varius and V. giganteus, both sometimes growing to 6 feet (1.8 meters).
Show More

Origin of goanna

First recorded in 1795–1805; aphetic form of iguana
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for goanna

Historical Examples

  • The monitor is popularly known as the goanna, a name derived from the iguana, an entirely different animal.

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 8

    Various

British Dictionary definitions for goanna

goanna

noun
  1. any of various Australian monitor lizards
  2. Australian slang a piano
Show More

Word Origin

C19: sense 1 changed from iguana; sense 2 from rhyming slang pianna
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