lizard

American  

[liz-erd] / ˈlɪz ərd /

noun

1. 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.

2. any of various reptiles resembling a lizard, as a dinosaur or crocodile.

3. leather made from the skin of the lizard, used for shoes, purses, etc.

4. Astronomy. Lizard, the constellation Lacerta.

5. Older Slang, lounge lizard.

6. Nautical. a pennant used as a leader for running rigging, having a thimble or bull's-eye.

7. The Lizard. Lizard Head.

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lizard ¹ British  

/ ˈlɪzəd /

noun

1. 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 worms

2. 1. leather made from the skin of such an animal

   2. ( as modifier )

      a lizard handbag

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Lizard ² British  

/ ˈlɪzəd /

noun

1. Also known as: Lizard Head.   the Lizard Peninsula.  a promontory in SW England, in SW Cornwall: the southernmost point in Great Britain

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Etymology

Origin of lizard

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English liserd, variant of lesard(e), from Middle French lesarde, from Latin lacerta

Example Sentences

The ring for this match was oversized, roughly the square footage of Wyoming, providing Paul plenty of room to run, skip, backpedal, and, weirdly, flick a lizard tongue at a circling Joshua.

From The Wall Street Journal

To do so, Dr. Griffin assembled a team to create a broad comparative dataset of hyoid samples from living lizards, crocodiles, birds, and extinct dinosaurs.

From Science Daily

Today, lizards and their close relatives, including snakes and the distinctive tuatara from New Zealand, form the most diverse group of land vertebrates.

From Science Daily

Johann Fischer's 1852 treatise on lizard neuroanatomy included part of the coil but omitted the remainder, and Fischer never described the curled structure.

From Science Daily

"In total, 472 exotic animals have been seized, including leopard tortoises, spurred tortoises, Mediterranean tortoises, iguanas, geckos of different varieties, tarantulas and Nile monitor lizards, among others," said a Civil Guard statement.

From Barron's

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