MONITOR LIZARD

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does monitor lizard mean? 

• MONITOR LIZARD (noun)
  The noun MONITOR LIZARD has 1 sense:

1. any of various large tropical carnivorous lizards of Africa and Asia and Australia; fabled to warn of crocodiles

  Familiarity information: MONITOR LIZARD used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MONITOR LIZARD (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of various large tropical carnivorous lizards of Africa and Asia and Australia; fabled to warn of crocodiles

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

monitor; monitor lizard; varan

Hypernyms ("monitor lizard" 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 "monitor lizard"):

African monitor; Varanus niloticus (destroys crocodile eggs)

dragon lizard; giant lizard; Komodo dragon; Komodo lizard; Varanus komodoensis (the largest lizard in the world (10 feet); found on Indonesian islands)

Holonyms ("monitor lizard" is a member of...):

genus Varanus; Varanus (type and sole extant genus of the Varanidae)

 Context examples 

Scientists had thought dinosaur eggs were more like those of modern birds than modern reptiles, but this long hatch time is far more reminiscent of monitor lizard than magpie.

(Slow-cooking dinosaur eggs may have contributed to extinction, Wikinews)