tree lizard
1
7.4
- noun
- /triː ˈlɪzərd/
- US
:
lagartija arbórea
- Children love watching the tree lizard as it climbs effortlessly among the leaves.
Examples
-
Nothing in the animal world is more surefooted than a tree lizard.
Academic text (1990) -
As he went along, those tree lizards called zandolites started coming down the veranda posts and vines.
Academic text (1990) -
While hiking in the mountains, I spotted a tree lizard sunbathing on a branch.
-
The tree lizard quickly darted up the trunk when it sensed danger nearby.
Synonyms
103
1.0
A small animal with scaly skin, four legs, and a long tail
A small climbing lizard that lives in the western United States and northern Mexico
A group of small lizards that live in trees and bushes in North and Central America
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a lizard associated with or living in trees' is directly derivable from combining 'tree' and 'lizard' — the compound simply specifies the type or habitat of the lizard. Noun–noun compounding like this is cross-linguistically common and follows transparent compositional patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The name tree lizard joins tree and lizard to paint a clear picture of a small, agile lizard that lives on and climbs trees. That's why it means 'a lizard that climbs trees' today.