five lined skink
five lined skink Lexical Profile
• noun
North American A medium-sized species of lizard (Plestiodon fasciatus) native to the eastern United States and parts of southern Canada, characterized by five pale longitudinal stripes along its dark back and, in juveniles, a distinctively bright blue tail.
"While hiking through the moist woodlands of the Appalachian Mountains, we spotted a juvenile five lined skink darting under a decaying log, its bright blue tail flashing in the sunlight."
Word Nuance & Usage
Frequently written with a hyphen as 'five-lined skink', it is commonly confused by observers with the closely related broad-headed skink and southeastern five-lined skink, which share similar striped patterns and bright blue tails during their juvenile stages.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The common name directly describes the animal's physical appearance, bearing five light-colored stripes. The word 'skink' comes from the Greek 'skinkos', via Latin 'scincus', referring to a specific type of lizard.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.