leguaan

English

Etymology

From French l’iguane, "the iguana", through Dutch and Afrikaans.

Noun

leguaan (plural leguaans)

1. An iguana.
2. Any of the monitor lizards
   • 2001 : Finally, a help plea yesterday from Debbie Thompson of Gonubie -- what to do about a small leguaan that had taken up residence in her "somewhat wild" garden with big trees, dense shrubs and hedges? [1]
   • 2006 : This is the view of Sazi Mhlongo, chair of the Traditional Healers's Association of SA (Thasa). It follows the recent court appearance of a sangoma and five others after police discovered the skins of various protected animals in the sangoma's house. The skins included that of a lion, leopard, puff adder and water leguaan. [2]

Translations

iguana — see iguana

any of the monitor lizards

• Afrikaans: likkewaan (af)
• Dutch: varaan (nl) m

Anagrams

• aulnage

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish iguana, with assimilation of the Spanish definite article (rebracketing of la iguana), from Taíno *iwana.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌleː.ɣyˈaːn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: le‧gu‧aan
• Rhymes: -aːn

Noun

leguaan f (plural leguanen, diminutive leguaantje n)

1. an iguana; lizard of the family Iguanidae; historically also including members of the Iguania

Derived terms

• zeeleguaan

Descendants

• Afrikaans: likkewaan
• Berbice Creole Dutch: linggwana
• → German: Leguan
• → Sranan Tongo: legwana
  • → Caribbean Hindustani: lagwáná