CHAMELEON

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Chameleon mean? 

• CHAMELEON (noun)
  The noun CHAMELEON has 3 senses:

1. a changeable or inconstant person

2. a faint constellation in the polar region of the southern hemisphere near Apus and Mensa

3. lizard of Africa and Madagascar able to change skin color and having a projectile tongue

  Familiarity information: CHAMELEON used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CHAMELEON (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A changeable or inconstant person

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("chameleon" is a kind of...):

individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A faint constellation in the polar region of the southern hemisphere near Apus and Mensa

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

Chamaeleon; Chameleon

Instance hypernyms:

constellation (a configuration of stars as seen from the earth)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Lizard of Africa and Madagascar able to change skin color and having a projectile tongue

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

chamaeleon; chameleon

Hypernyms ("chameleon" is a kind of...):

lizard (relatively long-bodied reptile with usually two pairs of legs and a tapering tail)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "chameleon"):

African chameleon; Chamaeleo chamaeleon (a chameleon found in Africa)

Chamaeleo oweni; horned chameleon (a kind of chameleon)

Holonyms ("chameleon" is a member of...):

Chamaeleonidae; Chamaeleontidae; family Chamaeleonidae; family Chamaeleontidae; family Rhiptoglossa; Rhiptoglossa (Old World chameleons; in some classifications they are considered a superfamily of Sauria)

 Context examples 

However, different nanoparticle materials and shapes could be used in extra layers to make a fully dynamic material, like real chameleon skin.

(Colour-changing artificial ‘chameleon skin’ powered by nanomachines, University of Cambridge)

In nature, animals such as chameleons and cuttlefish are able to change colour thanks to chromatophores: skin cells with contractile fibres that move pigments around.

(Colour-changing artificial ‘chameleon skin’ powered by nanomachines, University of Cambridge)

Researchers have developed artificial ‘chameleon skin’ that changes colour when exposed to light and could be used in applications such as active camouflage and large-scale dynamic displays.

(Colour-changing artificial ‘chameleon skin’ powered by nanomachines, University of Cambridge)