Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “lizard” come from?

Lizard comes from Middle English lesarde, from Anglo-Norman lusard, from Latin lacerta, a word for a small lizard or similar reptile.

lizard (English): Any reptile of the order Squamata that is not a...

Definitions

  1. Any reptile of the order Squamata that is not a...

Ancestry of “lizard”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishlesardeA reptile, especially a lizard; The sharpened tip...
2Anglo-Normanlusard—
3Old Frenchlesard—
4LatinlacertusAlternative form of lacerta: a lizard; The...
5Latinlacertalizard; ablative singular of lacerta

Words derived from “lizard”

  • lizardlike
  • lizardfish
  • lizardy
  • lizardman
  • lizardskin
  • lizardly
  • lizardless
  • lizardry
  • lizardfolk
  • lizardom
  • drain the lizard
  • lizardling
  • lizardness
  • Lizardbreath
  • リザードマン
Every word from Latin lacerta →