goanna

American  

[goh-an-uh] / goʊˈæn ə /

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).

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goanna British  

/ ɡəʊˈænə /

noun

1. any of various Australian monitor lizards

2. slang a piano

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Etymology

Origin of goanna

First recorded in 1795–1805; aphetic form of iguana

Example Sentences

However, at sites where taste aversion was trialled, goanna populations ranged from 35 per cent to 140 per cent of pre-invasion levels by the time the study finished.

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2024

"The price today or even in the near term isn't really his focus, the focus is where's the price goanna be in the in the future."

From Reuters • Sep. 14, 2023

I remember looking down its side when it was swinging me around like a dog with a goanna and I noticed my flippers were about half-way down its length.

From The Guardian • Jan. 2, 2019

Other hissing lizards include the Australian blue-tongued skink and the goanna, an Australian monitor lizard that inflates flaps of skin around the throat to make its warning sound.

From National Geographic • Oct. 24, 2015

"I ain't a-spendin' sech a dull Christmas arter all," he reflected, as he plodded on; but he had not walked above a hundred yards when he saw a black goanna sidling into the grass.

From While the Billy Boils by Lawson, Henry