reptile

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɹɛp.taɪl/, /ˈɹɛp.tɑj(ə)l/ (UK); /ˈɹɛp.taɪl/, /ˈɹɛp.taɪəl/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English reptil, borrowed from Old French reptile,^[2][3][4][5] from Late Latin rēptile, the neuter of rēptilis “creeping”,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from rēpere “to creep, crawl”.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Earliest recorded meaning

A creeping or crawling animal (1390 in the OED; before 1393 in Barnhart).^[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

For centuries the word was used of any creeping animal, including frogs, salamanders and even scorpions;^[4][1] its precise scientific sense developed from the mid-18th century, when the class Reptilia was separated from the amphibians.^[4] Of persons it has meant someone grovelling, mean or despicable since 1749.^[7][4] The adjective, “creeping, crawling”, dates from 1607,^[7][3][5] and reptilian from 1846.^[3]

Timeline

• 1390 – a creeping or crawling animal.^[7][3]
• 1607 – adjective, creeping.^[7][3][5]
• 1749 – a grovelling, despicable person.^[7][4]
• 1846 – reptilian.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Any of various cold-blooded, usually egg-laying vertebrates of the class Reptilia, such as snakes, lizards, crocodiles, turtles and dinosaurs, covered with scales or horny plates and breathing by lungs.
2. Any animal that crawls or creeps.
3. A person regarded as despicable, grovelling or treacherous.

Adjective

1. Creeping or crawling; characteristic of a reptile.
2. Grovelling, mean or despicable.

Related words

• Reptilia
• reptilian
• serpent
• amphibian
• creep

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press