reptile

American  

[rep-tahyl, -til] / ˈrɛp taɪl, -tɪl /

noun

1. any cold-blooded vertebrate of the class Reptilia, comprising the turtles, snakes, lizards, crocodilians, amphisbaenians, tuatara, and various extinct members including the dinosaurs.

2. (loosely) any of various animals that crawl or creep.

3. a groveling, mean, or despicable person.

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adjective

1. of or resembling a reptile; creeping or crawling.

2. groveling, mean, or despicable.

reptile British  

/ ˈrɛptaɪl /

noun

1. any of the cold-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Reptilia , characterized by lungs, an outer covering of horny scales or plates, and young produced in amniotic eggs. The class today includes the tortoises, turtles, snakes, lizards, and crocodiles; in Mesozoic times it was the dominant group, containing the dinosaurs and related forms

2. a grovelling insignificant person

   you miserable little reptile!

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adjective

1. creeping, crawling, or squirming

2. grovelling or insignificant; mean; contemptible

reptile Scientific  

/ rĕp′tīl′ /

1. Any of various cold-blooded vertebrates of the class Reptilia, having skin covered with scales or horny plates, breathing air with lungs, and usually having a three-chambered heart. Unlike amphibians, whose eggs are fertilized outside the female body, reptiles reproduce by eggs that are fertilized inside the female. Though once varied, widespread, and numerous, reptilian lineages, including the pterosaurs, ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and dinosaurs, have mostly become extinct (though birds are living descendants of dinosaurs). The earliest reptiles were the cotylosaurs (or stem reptiles) of the late Mississippian or early Pennsylvanian Period, from which mammals evolved. Modern reptiles include crocodiles, snakes, turtles, and lizards.

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Other Word Forms

• reptilelike adjective
• reptiloid adjective

Etymology

Origin of reptile

1350–1400; Middle English reptil < Late Latin rēptile, noun use of neuter of rēptilis creeping, equivalent to Latin rēpt ( us ) (past participle of rēpere to creep) + -ilis -ile

Example Sentences

With long, slender legs and a lightweight frame, it likely moved quickly through vegetation, hunting small reptiles, amphibians, and early mammals.

From Science Daily

There, Qatar Airways operates the Live Animal Center, a massive temperature-controlled facility featuring dedicated quarters for cats, dogs, birds and reptiles, alongside 24 horse stables.

From The Wall Street Journal

Chan is a herpetologist, meaning he studies amphibians and reptiles such as frogs, turtles, lizards, and snakes.

From Science Daily

These included mammals, reptiles, fish, jellyfish, and shrimp collected by Darwin and other naturalists during early scientific expeditions.

From Science Daily

"On average, morphologically based species of fishes, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and other vertebrate groups all seemed to be hiding around two cryptic species."

From Science Daily