family Chamaeleonidae
- noun
- /ˈfæmɪli ˌkæməˈliːənɪdi/
- Specialized
- The family Chamaeleonidae includes more than 200 species of chameleons found in Africa and Madagascar.
Examples
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Zoo exhibits often feature members of the family Chamaeleonidae due to their unique color-changing ability.
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The family Chamaeleonidae includes many species that can change color.
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Recent research on the family Chamaeleonidae has revealed new insights into their evolutionary history.
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Did you know that the family Chamaeleonidae is found in Africa?
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Recent research on the family Chamaeleonidae has revealed new insights into their evolutionary history.
-
The family Chamaeleonidae includes more than 200 species of chameleons found in Africa and Madagascar.
-
Zoo exhibits often feature members of the family Chamaeleonidae due to their unique color-changing ability.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A family of lizards that can change color and move each eye separately
A group of lizards that includes chameleons from Africa and Madagascar
A family of lizards that includes chameleons found in Africa, Europe, and Asia
A group of chameleons that live in Africa and parts of Asia and can change colour
A group of chameleons, lizards that change colour, from Africa and Asia
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines the noun 'family' (a taxonomic grouping) with the taxon name 'Chamaeleonidae', so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it denotes the family of chameleons. Taxonomic naming is a regular, compositional pattern across languages, making the meaning directly derivable from the parts.
Etymology
Family Chamaeleonidae comes from an old Greek name made of chamae meaning 'on the ground' and leon meaning 'lion', so people long ago called these little lizards 'ground lions'. That's why this name is used today for the whole group of chameleons.