English Explanatory Dictionary

reptile

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any animal of the class Reptilia that is not a bird — a cold-blooded vertebrate with dry scales that usually lays eggs, such as a lizard, snake, turtle, crocodile, alligator, etc.
  2. Any member of Reptilia, including birds.
  3. A reptile or amphibian.
  4. A mean, grovelling, loathsome or repulsive person.
adj
  1. Creeping; moving on the belly, or by means of small and short legs.
  2. Grovelling; low; vulgar.

Pronunciation

/ˈɹɛp.taɪl/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-reptile.wav /ˈɹɛp.taɪəl/ En-US reptile.ogg

Word forms

reptile reptiles

Etymology

From Middle English reptil, from Old French reptile, from Late Latin rēptile, neuter of reptilis (“creeping”), from Latin rēpō (“to creep”), from Proto-Indo-European *rep- (“to creep, slink”) (Pokorny; Watkins, 1969).

Synonyms

creeper reptile herptile herp reptilious creeping crawling reptitious despicable

Related words

mammal-like reptile Reptilia reptilian reptilianness reptiloid reptilologist reptilology reptoid reptologist :Category:Reptiles reptilelike herpetology

Derived words

eureptile nonreptile reptilase reptiledom reptilehood reptilekind reptilelike reptilic reptiliferous reptiliform reptilism reptilivorous
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