kameleon

See also: kaméleon and Kameleon

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch cameleon, from Old French cameleon, from Latin chamaeleōn, from Ancient Greek χαμαιλέων (khamailéōn), ultimately a calque of Akkadian 𒌨𒈤𒊭𒆠.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌkaː.meː.leːˈɔn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ka‧me‧le‧on
• Rhymes: -ɔn

Noun

kameleon m (plural kameleons, diminutive kameleonnetje n)

1. chameleon (lizard of the family Chamaeleonidae)
2. (figuratively) weathervane (someone who changes opinions, allegiance, etc. like a chameleon changes color)

   Synonym: windvaan

   Die politicus is een echte kameleon: hij verandert moeiteloos van opinie en nu zelfs opnieuw van partij!

   That politician is a true weathervane: he changes opinions effortlessly, now even switched parties again!

Derived terms

• gewone kameleon
• kameleonspin
• kameleontisch

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From German via Latin chamaeleon, from Ancient Greek χαμαιλέων (khamailéōn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɑmələuːn/
• Rhymes: -əuːn

Noun

kameleon m (definite singular kameleonen, indefinite plural kameleoner, definite plural kameleonene)

1. a chameleon

References

• “kameleon” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From German via Latin chamaeleon, from Ancient Greek χαμαιλέων (khamailéōn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɑmələuːn/
• Rhymes: -əuːn

Noun

kameleon m (definite singular kameleonen, indefinite plural kameleonar, definite plural kameleonane)

1. a chameleon

References

• “kameleon” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin chamaeleōn, from Ancient Greek χαμαιλέων (khamailéōn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.mɛˈlɛ.ɔn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛɔn
• Syllabification: ka‧me‧le‧on

Noun

kameleon m animal

1. chameleon

Declension

Declension of kameleon

	singular	plural
nominative	kameleon	kameleony
genitive	kameleona	kameleonów
dative	kameleonowi	kameleonom
accusative	kameleona	kameleony
instrumental	kameleonem	kameleonami
locative	kameleonie	kameleonach
vocative	kameleonie	kameleony

Noun

kameleon m pers

1. (figuratively) chameleon (person with inconstant behavior; one able to quickly adjust to new circumstances)

Declension

Declension of kameleon

	singular	plural
nominative	kameleon	kameleoni/kameleony (deprecative)
genitive	kameleona	kameleonów
dative	kameleonowi	kameleonom
accusative	kameleona	kameleonów
instrumental	kameleonem	kameleonami
locative	kameleonie	kameleonach
vocative	kameleonie	kameleoni

Further reading

• “kameleon”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[1] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “kameleon”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[2] (in Polish)

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kamelěoːn/
• Hyphenation: ka‧me‧le‧on

Noun

kamelèōn m anim (Cyrillic spelling камелѐо̄н)

1. chameleon

Declension

Declension of kameleon

	singular	plural
nominative	kamelèōn	kameleoni
genitive	kameleóna	kameleona
dative	kameleonu	kameleonima
accusative	kameleona	kameleone
vocative	kameleone	kameleoni
locative	kameleonu	kameleonima
instrumental	kameleonom	kameleonima

Further reading

• “kameleon”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• kamelyon

Etymology

Pseudo-Hispanism, derived from English chameleon with a shift of stress, from Middle English camelion, from Old French cameleon, from Latin chamaeleōn, from Ancient Greek χαμαιλέων (khamailéōn), ultimately a calque of Akkadian 𒌨𒈤𒊭𒆠 (nēšu ša qaqqari, “chameleon, reptile”, literally “lion of the ground; predator that crawls upon the ground”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /kameleˈon/ [k̠ɐ.mɛ.lɛˈjon̪]
• Rhymes: -on
• Syllabification: ka‧me‧le‧on

Noun

kameleón (Baybayin spelling ᜃᜋᜒᜎᜒᜌᜓᜈ᜔)

1. alternative form of kamaleon