Etymology of the English word chameleon
the English word
chameleonderived from the French word
anolisderived from the Carib word
anoliderived from the Latin word
chamaeleon (chameleon; thistles; carline , pine-thistle)
derived from the Greek word
chamaileon, χαμαιλέων
derived from the Late Greek word
leon, λέων (a 'lion')
derived from the Greek word
chamai, χαμαί (earthward; prostrate)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*dhghem-derived from the Latin word
chameleonderived from the Greek word
chamaileon, χαμαιλέων
derived from the Late Greek word
leon, λέων (a 'lion')
derived from the Greek word
chamai, χαμαί (earthward; prostrate)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*dhghem-Date
The earliest known usage of chameleon in English dates from the 14th century.
Cognates
Dutch
kameleon, English
chamaeleon, French
caméléon, German
Chamäleon, Icelandic
kameljón, Latin
chamaeleon, Swedish
kameleontUsage
Word found in Modern English
