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Definition of marine iguana
marine iguana
Plural:marine iguanas
marine iguana Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
7
Tier
2
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A large species of iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) native exclusively to the Galápagos Islands, distinguished by its unique ability among modern lizards to forage in the ocean for marine algae.
Example
"After diving for algae in the cold ocean waters, the marine iguana must bask on the dark volcanic rocks to raise its body temperature."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
A compound of 'marine' (from Latin 'marinus', meaning 'of the sea') and 'iguana' (from Spanish, derived from the Taino word 'iwana'). First described by science in the early 19th century.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Marine iguana. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 12, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/marine iguana