monitor lizard Synonyms & Antonyms
Choose a meaning, then find a word that fits your sentence.
Monitor Lizard as a Noun
1
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.
2
Also: the earless monitor lizard (Lanthanotus borneensis, the sole member of the family Lanthanotidae).
Word Forms & Grammar
monitor lizard (plural monitor lizards)
Origin of Monitor Lizard
From 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.
Quick Facts About Monitor Lizard
| Part of speech | noun |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Any of various large carnivorous lizards of the family Varanidae, all of whose extant species are of genus… |
| Plural | monitor lizards |