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American Dictionary of the English Language

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Lizard


LIZ'ARD, noun [Latin lacertus, lacerta, there has been a change of c into z or s, which may be the fact.]

In zoology, a genus of amphibious animals, called Lacerta, and comprehending the crocodile, alligator, chameleon, salamander, etc. But the name, in common life, is applied to the smaller species of this genus, and of these there is a great variety. These animals are ranked in the order of reptiles. The body is naked, with four feet and a tail. The body is thicker and more tapering than that of the serpent.