monitor lizard
Any of various large carnivorous lizards of the family Varanidae, all of whose extant…Any of various large carnivorous lizards of the family Varanidae, all of whose extant species are of genus Varanus, native to Africa, Asia and Australia.
Meaning
2 sensesAny of various large carnivorous lizards of the family Varanidae, all of whose extant species are of genus Varanus, native to Africa, Asia and Australia.
Waran
вара́нvarán
вара́нvarán
any of various large tropical carnivorous lizards of Africa and Asia and Australia; fabled to warn of crocodiles
Also: the earless monitor lizard (Lanthanotus borneensis, the sole member of the family Lanthanotidae).
Translations
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Origin
From the obsolete taxa Monitor and Lacerta monitor now displaced by Varanus within the sinFrom the obsolete taxa Monitor and Lacerta monitor now displaced by Varanus within the single-genus family Varanidae. The word Monitor is a calque of German Warner, which is a loanword from Arabic وَرَن (waran). The conflation of the two words was encouraged by the lizards' habit of standing on their hind legs and appearing to monitor their surroundings.
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Forms
plural: monitor lizards| Singular | monitor lizard |
|---|---|
| Plural | monitor lizards |
regular