[kuh-mee-lee-uh
n, -meel-yuhn] 
| 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. |
[kuh-mee-lee-uhn, -meel-yuhn] [-mee-lee-on-tis] . Astronomy. | a small southern constellation between Musca and Hydrus. |
| a·no·le (ə-nō'lē) 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.] |
| Cha·mae·leon also Cha·me·leon (kə-mēl'yən, -mē'lē-ən) n. A constellation in the southern polar region near Apus and Mensa. [Latin chamaeleōn, chameleon; see chameleon.] |
| cha·me·leon (kə-mēl'yən, -mē'lē-ən) 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. |
| Cha·me·leon (kə-mēl'yən, -mē'lē-ən) n. Variant of Chamaeleon. |
Chameleon
a species of lizard which has the faculty of changing the colour of its skin. It is ranked among the unclean animals in Lev. 11:30, where the Hebrew word so translated is _coah_ (R.V., "land crocodile"). In the same verse the Hebrew _tanshemeth_, rendered in Authorized Version "mole," is in Revised Version "chameleon," which is the correct rendering. This animal is very common in Egypt and in the Holy Land, especially in the Jordan valley.