lizard
[liz-erd]
- any of numerous scaly reptiles of the suborder Sauria, order Squamata, typically having a moderately elongate body, a tapering tail, and two pairs of legs held outward from the body, comprising mostly terrestrial and burrowing species.
- any of various reptiles resembling a lizard, as a dinosaur or crocodile.
- leather made from the skin of the lizard, used for shoes, purses, etc.
- (initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Lacerta.
- lounge lizard.
- Nautical. a pennant used as a leader for running rigging, having a thimble or bull's-eye.
- The Lizard. Lizard Head.
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Origin of lizard
1350–1400; Middle English liserd, variant of lesard(e) < Middle French lesarde < Latin lacerta
Lizard Head
- a promontory in SW Cornwall, in SW England: the southernmost point in England.
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Also called Lizard Point, The Lizard.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for lizard
Contemporary Examples
Another set of hackers that goes by the name the Lizard Squad told the Washington Post that they helped with the Sony hack.
There is a lot of residual concern that Lizard Squad was able to get even this far.
And some members of the Lizard Squad are now claiming that they were never trying to poison the network.
It almost makes you wonder if Lizard Squad did this just to annoy Anonymous and the other earnest champions of privacy.
Until recently, the hacker collective known as Lizard Squad was all but unknown.
Historical Examples
We were exactly 100 days from dock to dock, or 96 days from the Lizard to Cape Otway.
Six Letters From the ColoniesRobert Seaton
Then I put the little toads on the board, and the lizard drew them all around.
"Be welcome, my English cousin," and then dropped her eyes again to the lizard.
RomanceJoseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer
The young girl touched the lizard gently, but it was too frightened to move.
RomanceJoseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer
One peculiarity of this lizard is its ability to run on its hind legs.
PathfinderAlan Douglas
lizard
- any reptile of the suborder Lacertilia (or Sauria), esp those of the family Lacertidae (Old World lizards), typically having an elongated body, four limbs, and a long tail: includes the geckos, iguanas, chameleons, monitors, and slow wormsRelated adjectives: lacertilian, saurian
- leather made from the skin of such an animal
- (as modifier)a lizard handbag
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Word Origin
C14: via Old French from Latin lacerta
Lizard
- the Lizard a promontory in SW England, in SW Cornwall: the southernmost point in Great BritainAlso known as: Lizard Head, the Lizard Peninsula
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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
Word Origin and History for lizard
n.
"an animal resembling a serpent, with legs added to it" [Johnson], late 14c., lusarde, from Anglo-French lusard, Old French laisarde "lizard" (Modern French lézard), from Latin lacertus (fem. lacerta) "lizard," of unknown origin, perhaps from PIE root *leq- "to bend, twist" [Klein].
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper