reptile

American  

[rep-tahyl, -til] / ˈrɛp taɪl, -tɪl /

noun

• reptiles
  plural

1. any cold-blooded vertebrate of the class Reptilia, comprising the turtles, snakes, lizards, crocodilians, amphisbaenians, tuatara, and various extinct members including the dinosaurs.

2. (loosely) any of various animals that crawl or creep.

3. a groveling, mean, or despicable person.

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adjective

1. of or resembling a reptile; creeping or crawling.

2. groveling, mean, or despicable.

reptile British  

/ ˈrɛptaɪl /

noun

1. any of the cold-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Reptilia , characterized by lungs, an outer covering of horny scales or plates, and young produced in amniotic eggs. The class today includes the tortoises, turtles, snakes, lizards, and crocodiles; in Mesozoic times it was the dominant group, containing the dinosaurs and related forms

2. a grovelling insignificant person

   you miserable little reptile!

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adjective

1. creeping, crawling, or squirming

2. grovelling or insignificant; mean; contemptible

reptile Scientific  

/ rĕp′tīl′ /

1. Any of various cold-blooded vertebrates of the class Reptilia, having skin covered with scales or horny plates, breathing air with lungs, and usually having a three-chambered heart. Unlike amphibians, whose eggs are fertilized outside the female body, reptiles reproduce by eggs that are fertilized inside the female. Though once varied, widespread, and numerous, reptilian lineages, including the pterosaurs, ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and dinosaurs, have mostly become extinct (though birds are living descendants of dinosaurs). The earliest reptiles were the cotylosaurs (or stem reptiles) of the late Mississippian or early Pennsylvanian Period, from which mammals evolved. Modern reptiles include crocodiles, snakes, turtles, and lizards.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reptilelike
  adjective
• reptiloid
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reptiles
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of reptile

1350–1400; Middle English reptil < Late Latin rēptile, noun use of neuter of rēptilis creeping, equivalent to Latin rēpt ( us ) (past participle of rēpere to creep) + -ilis -ile

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Explanation

A reptile is a cold-blooded, scaly animal with a backbone. Lizards and turtles? Yep — both reptiles. Puppies and kittens? No way. There are many classes of animals. People are part of the mammal class. Another class is reptiles, which are all cold-blooded vertebrates (meaning they have backbones). Snakes, turtles, tortoises, lizards, alligators, chameleons, geckos, skinks, and crocodiles are all reptiles. You'll see plenty of reptiles at the zoo, and you'll see replicas of some at a natural history museum — since dinosaurs were reptiles!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reptile reptiles

Documents said the abandoned venture planned to include "reptile, mongoose and several animal enclosures".

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Officials issued the alert Monday after a man shared with police an image appearing to show the dangerous reptile slithering from the thin branch of a tree onto the roof of a backyard shed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

T. rex was still a scaly, egg-laying reptile, but its 36 C body temperature was much closer to that of a warm-blooded mammal than a modern reptile.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

There were two other sightings of the species in Orange County in January and November of 2018, said Greg Pauly, a reptile expert with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

No longer at the mercy of the reptile brain, we can change ourselves.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Six years ago, 26 rare reptiles - 10 of them dead - smuggled inside parcels of toys and sweets from Mexico, were found by customs officials at Cologne Bonn Airport.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Warm environments can support the activity, digestion, and growth of large reptiles, potentially helping explain why exceptionally large snakes appeared during some of Earth's warmer periods.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

The reptiles also are illegal to own as pets in California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Hannah Ellins, head of reptiles and invertebrates, said: "We do a lot of work with exotics, but it's cool being able to help our animals here."

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

In the case of mammals, reptiles, and fish, it would be that they all have backbones.

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio

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