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Definition of tokay gecko
tokay gecko
Plural:tokay geckos
tokay gecko Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
7
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A large, nocturnal, and highly territorial species of gecko native to Southeast Asia and parts of the Indo-Pacific, distinguished by its blue or gray body with bright orange and red spots, as well as its loud, croaking vocalization.
Example
"During our trek through the Thai jungle, we were kept awake by the loud, rhythmic clicking of a Tokay gecko perched high in the canopy."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for tokay geckoWord Origin & Etymology
Derived from the Malay 'tokek' and 'gekoq', both of which are imitative of the loud, distinct mating call ('to-kay') produced by the male of the species.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Tokay gecko. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/tokay gecko