anguidae
|an-gui-dae|
/ˈæŋɡwɪdiː/
snake-like lizard family
Etymology
'Anguidae' originates from New Latin, specifically the Latin word 'anguis', where the root 'angu-' meant 'snake' and the zoological family suffix '-idae' denoted 'family; descendants of'.
'anguis' (Latin) combined with the family-forming suffix produced the New Latin taxonomic name 'Anguidae', which entered modern English as the scientific family name 'Anguidae'.
Initially, it indicated the taxonomic family derived from or related to 'anguis' (‘snake’), and it came to denote the modern lizard family characterized by snake-like bodies and limb reduction.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a family of mostly legless or semi-legless lizards (glass lizards, slowworms, and allies), characterized by elongated bodies and reduced or absent limbs.
Recent studies of anguidae have clarified multiple independent events of limb reduction.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/09 17:08