iguana
Americannoun
-
a large, arboreal lizard, Iguana iguana, native to Central and South America, having stout legs and a crest of spines from neck to tail.
-
any of various related lizards of the genera Iguana, Ctenosaura, Conolophus, and Amblyrhynchus.
noun
-
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
-
Also called: iguanid. any other lizard of the tropical American family Iguanidae
-
another name for leguaan
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of iguana
1545–55; < Spanish < Arawak iwana
Explanation
An iguana is a big lizard with distinctive spines running down its back. If you keep an iguana as a pet, you'll want to feed it a lot of fresh vegetables. Iguanas look a little intimidating, since they grow as large as six feet long to the tip of the tail and have a head that resembles a dinosaur. While pet iguanas can sometimes be somewhat aggressive, they can be tamed with enough handling. The word iguana is Spanish, and it comes from a West Indies language, Arawak, and its word for this particular kind of lizard, iwana.
Vocabulary lists containing iguana
Cinco de Mayo: Words to Celebrate Mexico
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Amazing Animals, List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Amazing Animals, A-Z
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The results showed that native Fijian iguana populations have much greater genetic diversity than previously thought — possibly pointing to an entirely new species of iguana.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2025
An iguana grabbed a ball at the 2014 Puerto Rico Open.
From Seattle Times • May 16, 2024
A new iguana joins Asia's rich reptile fauna, officially described as new to science in the open-access journal ZooKeys.
From Science Daily • Dec. 27, 2023
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists Liolaemus forsteri, or the Forster’s tree iguana, as endangered, according to the Red Book of the Vertebrate Wildlife of Bolivia.
From National Geographic • Oct. 26, 2023
That evening our instructors took pity on us and gave us something else to eat: chunks of iguana.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
