Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
aboma | a S. American snake. |
adder | a venomous snake. |
agama agamid | a tropical lizard. |
agamoid | having the features of an AGAMID. |
aligarta alligarta | an old term for alligator. |
alligator | a reptile of a mainly American family related to the crocodile but with a shorter, broader snout and non-protruding teeth. |
amphisbaena | a worm-lizard; also, a mythical two-headed serpent or lizard. |
anaconda | a S. American boa of the genus Eunectes. |
anguifauna | the snakes of a region. |
anguine | of or pertaining to snakes. |
anole | a tropical lizard. |
asp | a venomous snake. |
aspick | an asp. |
aspish | pertaining to, or like, an asp. |
basilisk | a harmless crested lizard of Central America; also, a legendary lizard/serpent with lethal breath and glance. |
blacksnake | a snake of a black color, found in the US. |
blindworm | a kind of legless lizard, aka slowworm. |
boa | a kind of constricting snake. |
boma | a S. American boa and anaconda. |
boomslang | a highly venomous southern African tree-snake. |
bullsnake | an American burrowing snake. |
bushmaster | a venomous snake. |
caiman cayman | the South American alligator. |
cameleon chameleon chamaeleon | a lizardlike reptile of the genus Chamaeleo, of several species, found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. |
camoodi | (Caribbean) an anaconda. |
cerastes | a genus of poisonous African serpents, with a horny scale over each eye; the horned viper. [Gk. kerastes, from keras, a horn]. |
chelonian | any member of the turtle or tortoise family. |
chuckwalla chuckawalla | an iguanid lizard of Mexico and the south-western US. [Mex. Sp. chacahuala from Amer. Indian.] |
coachwhip | a large, slender, harmless snake of the southern United States. [Strange that this is non-TLW when it's your snake — so what do you call it?] |
cobra | a kind of snake. |
cobric | of or like a cobra. |
cobriform | like or related to the cobra. |
colubrid | a kind of snake, including the garter and king snake. |
colubriform | shaped like a snake. |
colubrine | like a snake; cunning. |
cooter | a kind of turtle. |
copperhead | a poisonous American serpent, closely allied to the rattlesnake, but without rattles. |
cottonmouth | an American snake. |
croc | crocodile. |
crocodile | a large long-tailed tropical reptile of the genus Crocodilus (order Crocodilia). |
crotaline | of or pertaining to rattlesnakes. |
dendrophis | a snake of the genus Dendrophis, a tree snake. |
diamondback | a kind of rattlesnake. |
diapsid | a reptile whose skull has two pairs of temporal arches > DIAPSIDS. Cf. SYNAPSID. |
dipsas | a fabulous snake whose bite was believed to cause intense thirst. [Gk. dipsa, thirst]. Pl. DIPSADES. |
draco | as in draco lizard, a kind of flying lizard. No —S. |
dugite | an Australian venomous snake. |
elapid | a kind of snake, including cobras, krait, taipan etc. |
elapine | like or pertaining to the Elapidae, a family of venomous snakes, including the cobras. |
emyd emyde | a genus of freshwater terrapin. |
emys | a genus of freshwater terrapin > EMYDES. |
gaboon | a kind of snake, the gaboon viper. |
galapago | a kind of tortoise > GALAPAGOS. |
galliwasp | a West Indian lizard, about a foot long, imagined by the natives to be venomous. |
garial gavial gharial | an Indian crocodile with a long snout. [Hindi ghariyal, crocodile]. |
gator gater | an alligator. |
gavialoid | of or like a GAVIAL. |
gecko | any lizard of the family Geckonidae. Pl. GECKOS or GECKOES. |
gila | a large tuberculated lizard native to Arizona, New Mexico, etc. |
goanna | a kind of lizard. |
gotcha | as in gotcha lizard, an Australian name for a crocodile. No —S. |
guana | any large lizard. |
habu | a venomous snake, found in Asia. |
hamadryad | a king cobra. Also a wood-nymph; also a kind of baboon. Pl. HAMADRYADS or HAMADRYADES. |
hatteria | a kind of New Zealand lizard, aka SPHENODON or TUATERA. |
hawkbill hawksbill | a kind of sea turtle. |
herpetoid | of or relating to snakes. |
hicatee hiccatee | a West Indian freshwater tortoise. |
hognose | a short-bodied, harmless American snake. |
iguana | a tropical lizard. |
iguanian | resembling, or pertaining to, the IGUANA. |
iguanid | any member of the iguana family. |
jacare | (Tupi) the caiman. |
jararaca jararaka | a venomous serpent of Brazil. |
kabaragoya | (Tagalog) a very large monitor lizard. |
kingsnake | a N. American snake. |
karait krait | a venomous snake of India. |
lacertian | relating to lizards; (noun) a member of the lizard family > LACERTIANS. |
lacertid | a lizard. |
lacertilian | of or pertaining to lizards; (noun) a member of the lizard family > LACERTILIANS. |
lacertine | a member of the lizard family > LACERTINES. |
langaha | a colubriform snake of Madagascar; its nose is prolonged in the form of a sharp blade. |
leatherback | a kind of turtle. |
leguaan leguan | (Dutch) a large S. African lizard. |
lizard | any member of the Lacertilia, an order of scaly reptiles, usu. differing from snakes in having four legs, movable eyelids, and non-expansible mouths. |
loggerhead | a large-headed sea turtle. |
mamba | a venomous African snake. |
massasauga | a kind of rattlesnake. |
matamata | the bearded tortoise of South American rivers. |
moccasin mocassin | a kind of N. American pit-viper. |
mokomoko | (Maori) a kind of SKINK. |
moloch | a spiny Australian lizard. |
muggar mugger muggur | a broad-snouted Indian crocodile. [Hindi magar]. |
naga | a snake, especially the cobra; a divine snake (Hindu mythology). |
ngarara | (Maori) a lizard found in New Zealand. |
ophidian | of or like a snake. |
perentie perenty | (Native Australian) a large Australian monitor lizard. |
python | a large snake that suffocates its victims by constriction. |
rattler | a rattlesnake. |
rattlesnake | a venomous American pit-viper with rattling horny rings on the end of its tail. |
reptilian | a reptile. |
reptilious | like a reptile. |
reptiloid | a reptile-like creature > REPTILOIDS. |
ridley | a marine turtle. |
ringhals rinkhals | an African snake that spits its venom. Pl. RINGHALSES, RINKHALSES. |
saltie | a saltwater crocodile. |
saurian | any of a group (Sauria) of reptiles, lizard like. |
sauroid | like or pertaining to the saurians. |
scincoid scincoidian | (any animal) resembling a SKINK. |
seps | a skink of the genus Seps with a serpentlike body. |
serpent |   |
serpentry | serpents collectively. |
skink | a type of lizard; also a verb, meaning to pour out. |
slowworm | a kind of legless lizard. |
snake |   |
snakelike | like a snake. |
snaky snakey | like a snake > SNAKIER, SNAKIEST. |
snakiness | being like a snake. |
snakish | having the qualities or characteristics of a snake; snaky. |
sphenodon | an animal of the genus, also known as HATTERIA, to which the TUATARA belongs. |
sphenodont | relating to a SPHENODON; (noun) a sphenodon > SPHENODONTS |
stellio | as in stellio lizard, a STELLION. |
stellion | an E. Mediterranean lizard with starry spots. |
stinkpot | a common musk turtle found in SE Canada and the eastern US, which emits a foul-smelling secretion when disturbed. |
sucuruju | a S. American Indian term for the anaconda. |
sungazer | an African lizard given to basking in the sun. |
surucucu | a S. American Indian name for the bushmaster snake. |
synapsid | a reptile of the extinct subclass Synapsida, aka mammal-like reptile. |
taipan | an Australian venomous snake. |
tegu teguexin | a large black and yellow S. American lizard. |
teiid | a tropical American lizard. |
thalassian | a type of sea turtle. |
tokay | a large gecko of southern Asia and Indonesia. |
tortoise |   |
tuatara tuatera | a primitive reptile found in New Zealand, of the genus Hatteria. |
uta | any of a genus of large lizards. |
varan | a monitor lizard. |
viperine | of or pertaining to a viper or vipers; resembling a viper. |
viperish | like a viper. |
viperishly | in a viperish manner. |
viperlike | like a viper. |
viperous | having the qualities of a viper; venomous. |
whiptail | a kind of lizard with a long slender tail. |
whipsnake | a long thin snake. |
worral worrel | an Egyptian fork-tongued lizard, about four feet long when full grown. [Arabic waral, lizard]. |
zonure | a kind of tropical lizard. |