Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “iguana” come from?

Iguana comes from Spanish iguana, borrowed from Taíno iwana, a word for the large tropical lizard native to the Caribbean.

iguana (English): A green iguana , a large tropical American lizard...

Definitions

  1. A green iguana , a large tropical American lizard...

Ancestry of “iguana”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Spanishiguanaiguana
2Taínoiwanaiguana

Words derived from “iguana”

  • goanna
  • guana
  • iguanoid
  • gowena
Every word from Taíno iwana →