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”); ultimately a calque from Akkadian 𒌨𒈤𒊭𒆠 (nēšu ša qaqqari, “chameleon, reptile”, literally “lion of the ground", "predator that crawls upon the ground”).

Pronunciation

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

Noun

chamaeleon m (genitive chamaeleōnis); third declension

1. chameleon (a kind of lizard)
2. (sometimes feminine) carline thistle

Inflection

Third declension.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	chamaeleon	chamaeleōnēs
Genitive	chamaeleōnis	chamaeleōnum
Dative	chamaeleōnī	chamaeleōnibus
Accusative	chamaeleōnem	chamaeleōnēs
Ablative	chamaeleōne	chamaeleōnibus
Vocative	chamaeleon	chamaeleōnēs

Third declension.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	chamaeleon	chamaeleōntēs
Genitive	chamaeleōntis	chamaeleōntum
Dative	chamaeleōntī	chamaeleōntibus
Accusative	chamaeleōntem	chamaeleōntēs
Ablative	chamaeleōnte	chamaeleōntibus
Vocative	chamaeleon	chamaeleōntēs

References

• chamaeleon in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• chamaeleon in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• chamaeleon in William Smith, editor (1848) A Dictionary of Greek Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray
• Critical and Philological Notes: Tablet XI, Note 314 in Andrew R. George (2003) The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts, Volume II, Oxford University Press, pages 896-897
• nēšu(m) in Black, Jeremy; George, Andrew; Postgate, Nicholas (1976) A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, page 251