goanna
goanna Lexical Profile
goanna Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Australian Any of various large, mostly carnivorous monitor lizards of the genus Varanus, native primarily to Australia and parts of Southeast Asia, characterized by a long neck, stout body, and powerful tail.
"While hiking in the outback, the group paused to watch a massive goanna sunning itself on a flat red rock."
Australian The meat of a monitor lizard, historically and culturally significant as a traditional bush food for Indigenous Australians.
"The elders taught the younger generation how to track and hunt goanna for the community feast."
Word Nuance & Usage
Though etymologically derived from 'iguana', a goanna is a monitor lizard (genus Varanus) and is not closely related to the true iguanas found in the Americas.
• Rhymes for goanna
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Early 19th century: from a colloquial corruption of 'iguana', applied by early European settlers in Australia who mistook the local monitor lizards for South American iguanas.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.