reptile English · revision 1020
11 Oct 2026, 04:57 by bogdan “New entry from the dictionary sources (AHD, Barnhart, Etymonline, MW, OED, RHWU, Wiktionary)” current version
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+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /ˈɹɛp.taɪl/, /ˈɹɛp.tɑj(ə)l/ ''(UK)''; /ˈɹɛp.taɪl/, /ˈɹɛp.taɪəl/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is [[inh|enm|reptil]], [[bor|fro|reptile]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) [[der|la-lat|rēptile]], the neuter of ''rēptilis'' “creeping”,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) from ''rēpere'' “to creep, crawl”.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ A creeping or crawling animal (1390 in the OED; before 1393 in Barnhart).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ For centuries the word was used of any creeping animal, including frogs, salamanders and even scorpions;^(Etymonline)^(Wiktionary) its precise scientific sense developed from the mid-18th century, when the class Reptilia was separated from the amphibians.^(Etymonline) Of persons it has meant someone grovelling, mean or despicable since 1749.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) The adjective, “creeping, crawling”, dates from 1607,^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate) and ''reptilian'' from 1846.^(Barnhart 1995)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1390 – a creeping or crawling animal.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)
+ * 1607 – adjective, creeping.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)
+ * 1749 – a grovelling, despicable person.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)
+ * 1846 – ''reptilian''.^(Barnhart 1995)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # Any of various cold-blooded, usually egg-laying [[vertebrate|alt=vertebrates]] of the class Reptilia, such as [[snake|alt=snakes]], [[lizard|alt=lizards]], [[crocodile|alt=crocodiles]], [[turtle|alt=turtles]] and [[dinosaur|alt=dinosaurs]], covered with scales or horny plates and breathing by lungs.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # Any animal that crawls or creeps.^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # A person regarded as despicable, grovelling or treacherous.^(AHD)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ===Adjective===
+ # Creeping or crawling; characteristic of a reptile.^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # Grovelling, mean or despicable.^(RHWU)^(OED 1989)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[Reptilia]]
+ * [[reptilian]]
+ * [[serpent]]
+ * [[amphibian]]
+ * [[creep]]
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}