iguana

American  

[ih-gwah-nuh] / ɪˈgwɑ nə /

noun

1. a large, arboreal lizard, Iguana iguana, native to Central and South America, having stout legs and a crest of spines from neck to tail.

2. any of various related lizards of the genera Iguana, Ctenosaura, Conolophus, and Amblyrhynchus.

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iguana British  

/ ɪˈɡwɑːnə /

noun

1. either of two large tropical American arboreal herbivorous lizards of the genus Iguana, esp I. iguana ( common iguana ), having a greyish-green body with a row of spines along the back: family Iguanidae

2. Also called: iguanid.  any other lizard of the tropical American family Iguanidae

3. another name for leguaan

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Other Word Forms

• iguanian noun

Etymology

Origin of iguana

1545–55; < Spanish < Arawak iwana

Example Sentences

It got so chilly in parts of Florida that iguanas were frozen in place.

From Los Angeles Times

While cold-stunned iguanas fall from trees in Florida and videos circulate of frozen ‘exploding’ trees in the Northeast, Southern California is working up a sweat.

From Los Angeles Times

While cold-stunned iguanas fall from trees in Florida and videos circulate of frozen “exploding” trees in the Northeast, Southern California is working up a sweat.

From Los Angeles Times

We were determined to make it to Raccoon Island, and along the way spotted dolphins, iguanas, carnivorous birds and more, both coming and going.

From Salon

Frigid temperatures in the largely subtropical state can "cold-stun" iguanas, causing them to fall off trees in what has been referred to as a "lizard blizzard."

From Barron's