iguana

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a large tropical American lizard, typically with a crest of spines along its back and a long tail

   A green iguana rested on a branch above the river.

2. 2
   noun

   any of several related lizards of the iguana family, including marine and land iguanas

   The marine iguana feeds on algae along the rocky shore.

Simplified etymology

Iguana entered English in the mid-16th century through Spanish, from Arawak iwana, the indigenous name for the lizard. Iguanodon was later formed from iguana and the Greek element -odon(t), “tooth.”

Borrowed through Spanish iguana from Taino iwana, the Indigenous Caribbean name for the lizard.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary