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cha·me·le·on 
Audio Help [kuh-mee-lee-uhn, -meel-yuhn] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [kuh-mee-lee-uhn, -meel-yuhn] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | any of numerous Old World lizards of the family Chamaeleontidae, characterized by the ability to change the color of their skin, very slow locomotion, and a projectile tongue. |
| 2. | any of several American lizards capable of changing the color of the skin, esp. Anolis carolinensis (American chameleon), of the southeastern U.S. |
| 3. | a changeable, fickle, or inconstant person. |
| 4. | (initial capital letter) Astronomy. Chamaeleon. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Chameleon
To learn more about Chameleon visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
Cha·mae·le·on
Audio Help [kuh-mee-lee-uhn, -meel-yuhn] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [kuh-mee-lee-uhn, -meel-yuhn] Pronunciation Key –noun, genitive -mae·le·on·tis
Audio Help [-mee-lee-on-tis] Pronunciation Key. Astronomy.
Audio Help [-mee-lee-on-tis] Pronunciation Key. Astronomy. | a small southern constellation between Musca and Hydrus. |
Also, Chameleon.
[Origin: < L]
] | Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| a·no·le
Audio Help (ə-nō'lē) Pronunciation Key
n. Any of various chiefly tropical New World lizards of the genus Anolis, characterized by a distensible throat flap and the ability to change color. Also called chameleon. [French anolis, of Cariban origin.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| Cha·mae·leon also Cha·me·leon
Audio Help (kə-mēl'yən, -mē'lē-ən) Pronunciation Key
n. A constellation in the southern polar region near Apus and Mensa. [Latin chamaeleōn, chameleon; see chameleon.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| cha·me·leon
Audio Help (kə-mēl'yən, -mē'lē-ən) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Middle English camelioun, from Latin chamaeleōn, from Greek khamaileōn : khamai, on the ground; see dhghem- in Indo-European roots + leōn, lion (loan translation of Akkadian nēš qaqqari, ground lion, lizard); see lion.] cha·me'le·on'ic (-lē-ŏn'ĭk) adj. Word History: The words referring to the animal chameleon and the plant chamomile are related etymologically by a reference to the place one would expect to find them, that is, on the ground. The first part of both words goes back to the Greek form khamai, meaning "on the ground." What is found on the ground in each case is quite different, of course. The khamaileōn is a "lion [leōn] on the ground," a term translating the Akkadian phrase nēš qaqqari. The khamaimēlon is "an apple [mēlon] on the ground," so named because the blossoms of at least one variety of this creeping herb have an applelike scent. Both words are first found in Middle English, chameleon in a work composed before 1382 and chamomile in a work written in 1373. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| Cha·me·leon
Audio Help (kə-mēl'yən, -mē'lē-ən) Pronunciation Key
n. Variant of Chamaeleon. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
chameleon
1340, from O.Fr. chaméléon, from L. chamaeleon, from Gk. khamaileon, from khamai "on the ground" (also "dwarf"), akin to chthon "earth" + leon "lion." Figurative sense of "variable person" is 1582. It was formerly supposed to live on air (cf. "Hamlet" III.ii.98).
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| chameleon | |
noun | |
| 1. | a changeable or inconstant person |
| 2. | a faint constellation in the polar region of the southern hemisphere near Apus and Mensa [syn: Chamaeleon] |
| 3. | lizard of Africa and Madagascar able to change skin color and having a projectile tongue |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
chameleon [kəˈmiːliən] noun
a small lizard which is able to change colour
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Chameleon
Cha*me"le*on\ (k[.a]*m[=e]"l[-e]*[u^]n), n. [L. Chamaeleon, Gr. chamaile`wn, lit., "ground lion;" chamai` on the ground + le`wn lion. See Humble, and Lion.] (Zo["o]l.) A lizardlike reptile of the genus Cham[ae]leo, of several species, found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. The skin is covered with fine granulations; the tail is prehensile, and the body is much compressed laterally, giving it a high back. Note: Its color changes more or less with the color of the objects about it, or with its temper when disturbed. In a cool, dark place it is nearly white, or grayish; on admitting the light, it changes to brown, bottle-green, or blood red, of various shades, and more or less mottled in arrangment. The American chameleons belong to Anolis and allied genera of the family Iguanid[ae]. They are more slender in form than the true chameleons, but have the same power of changing their colors. Chameleon mineral (Chem.), the compound called potassium permanganate, a dark violet, crystalline substance, KMnO4, which in formation passes through a peculiar succession of color from green to blue, purple, red, etc. See Potassium permanganate, under Potassium.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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