| lizard | 1. <zoology> Any one of the numerous species of reptiles belonging to the order Lacertilia; sometimes, also applied to reptiles of other orders, as the Hatteria. most lizards have an elongated body, with four legs, and a long tail; but there are some without legs, and some with a short, thick tail. Most have scales, but some are naked; most have eyelids, but some do not. The tongue is varied in form and structure. In some it is forked, in others, as the chameleons, club-shaped, and very extensible. See Amphisbaena, Chameleon, Gecko, Gila monster, Horned toad, Iguana, and Dragon. 2. A piece of rope with thimble or block spliced into one or both of the ends. 3. A piece of timber with a forked end, used in dragging a heavy stone, a log, or the like, from a field. <zoology> Lizard fish, a kind of serpentine from near Lizard Point, Cornwall, England, used for ornamental purposes. Origin: OE. Lesarde, OF. Lesarde, F. Lezard, L. Lacerta, lacertus. Cf. Alligator, Lacerta. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| lizard's tail | <botany> A perennial plant of the genus Saururus (S. Cernuus), growing in marshes, and having white flowers crowded in a slender terminal spike, somewhat resembling in form a lizard's tail; whence the name. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| water lizard | <zoology> Any aquatic lizard of the genus Varanus, as the monitor of the Nile. See Monitor. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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