Definitions for reptileˈrɛp tɪl, -taɪl

This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word reptile

Princeton's WordNet

  1. reptile, reptilian(noun)



  1. reptile(Noun)

    A cold-blooded vertebrate of the class Reptilia.

  2. reptile(Noun)

    A mean or grovelling person.

  3. Origin: reptil, from reptile, from reptile, neuter of reptilis, from repo, from rep- (Pokorny; Watkins, 1969).

Webster Dictionary

  1. Reptile(adj)

    creeping; moving on the belly, or by means of small and short legs

  2. Reptile(adj)


  3. Reptile(noun)


  4. Reptile(noun)

    one of the Reptilia, or one of the Amphibia

  5. Reptile(noun)

    a groveling or very mean person



  1. Reptile

    Traditionally, reptiles are members of the class Reptilia comprising the amniotes that are neither birds nor mammals. Living reptiles, in that sense, can be distinguished from other tetrapods in that they are "cold-blooded" and bear scutes or scales. The earliest known reptiles originated around 320–310 million years ago during the Carboniferous period, having evolved from advanced reptile-like amphibians that became increasingly adapted to life on dry land. Many groups are extinct, including dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and aquatic groups such as the ichthyosaurs. Modern reptiles inhabit every continent with the exception of Antarctica. Several living subgroups are recognized: ⁕Testudines: approximately 330 species ⁕Sphenodontia: 2 species ⁕Squamata: over 9,400 species ⁕Crocodilia: 25 species Although they have scutes on their feet and lay eggs, birds have historically been excluded from the reptiles. They therefore do not appear on the list above. However, as some reptiles are more closely related to birds than they are to other reptiles — crocodiles are more closely related to birds than they are to lizards — cladistic writers who prefer a more unified grouping usually also include the birds, which include over 10,000 species.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Reptile

    rep′tīl, adj. moving or crawling on the belly or with very short legs: grovelling: low.—n. an animal that moves or crawls on its belly or with short legs: an oviparous quadruped: one of the class of Reptil′ia ( occupying a central position in the Vertebrate series, beneath them Amphibians and Fishes, above them Birds and Mammals: a grovelling, low person.—adjs. Reptil′ian, belonging to reptiles; Reptilif′erous, producing reptiles; Reptil′iform, related to reptiles; Reptil′ious, like a reptile.—n. Reptil′ium, a place where reptiles are kept.—adjs. Reptiliv′orous, feeding upon reptiles; Rep′tiloid, reptile form.—Reptilian age (geol.), the Mesozoic age, during which reptiles attained great development. [Fr.,—L. reptilisrepĕre, to creep.]

Anagrams for reptile »

  1. Peltier, perlite

  2. Peltier

  3. Perlite


  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of reptile in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of reptile in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Sample Sentences & Example Usage

  1. Edmund Burke:


  2. Mehmet Murat ildan:

    Sometimes it is good to fall down so that we can see whether we honourably get up or disgracefully turn into a miserable reptile!

  3. Sterling Nesbitt:

    There's such a huge gap in our understanding around the time when the common ancestor of birds and crocodilians was alive — there isn't a lot out there in the fossil record from that part of the reptile family tree.

  4. Arthur Georges:

    We believe that after the master sex gene on the sex chromosomes does its work, a cascade of gene regulatory processes (those governing development) is initiated leading to a male or a female hatchling reptile, for the most part, these regulatory processes are buffered in some way from varying temperatures in the nest, but only to a point. At high temperatures, the control of the master sex genes is eroded, and temperature brings in its influence.

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