goanna

[ goh-an-uh ]

noun

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).

Origin of goanna

First recorded in 1795–1805; aphetic form of iguana

Words Nearby goanna

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use goanna in a sentence

He had nearly reached its mouth when a great greasy black goanna clambered up a sapling from under his feet and looked fightable.
While the Billy Boils | Henry Lawson
He ran round to the other side of the hut, and there was a great black goanna in violent convulsions on the ground.
While the Billy Boils | Henry Lawson
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

/ (ɡəʊˈænə) /

noun

any of various Australian monitor lizards
Australian slang a piano

Origin of goanna

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

Browse