chamaeleon

See also: chameleon, Chamaeleon, Chamäleon, chamæleon, and chamæléon

English

Noun

chamaeleon (plural chamaeleons)

1. Alternative spelling of chameleon

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Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek χαμαιλέων (khamailéōn), from χαμαί (khamaí, “on the earth, on the ground”) + λέων (léōn, “lion”)

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /kʰaˈmae̯.le.on/, [kʰaˈmae̯.ɫe.õ]

Noun

chamaeleon m (genitive chamaeleōnis); third declension

1. chameleon (lizard)

Inflection

The singular genitive is sometimes chamaeleōntis, with a corresonding change in other forms.

References

• chamaeleon in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “chamaeleon” in Félix Gaffiot’s Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette (1934)
• chamaeleon in William Smith, editor (1848) A Dictionary of Greek Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray