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
- Any reptile of the order Squamata that is not a...
Ancestry of “lizard”, step by step
lizard traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English lesarde
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lesarde | A reptile, especially a lizard; The sharpened tip... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | lusard | — |
| 3 | Old French | lesard | — |
| 4 | Latin | lacertus | Alternative form of lacerta: a lizard; The... |
| 5 | Latin | lacerta | lizard; ablative singular of lacerta |
via Cornish Lysardh
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Cornish | Lysardh | the Lizard |
| 2 | Swedish | -lys | — |
Words derived from “lizard”