Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A genus of rhynchocephalous reptiles containing peculiar lizards of New Zealand, the only living representatives of the order Rhynchocephala, and the type of the family Hatteriidæ. H. punctata is known as the tuatera. Also called
Sphenodon . - noun [lowercase] A member of this genus.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) A New Zealand lizard, which, in anatomical character, differs widely from all other existing lizards. It is the only living representative of the order Rhynchocephala, of which many Mesozoic fossil species are known; -- called also
Sphenodon ,tuatara , andTuatera .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun zoology A
New Zealand lizard, thetuatara , Sphenodon.
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
New Latin, from a synonym, Hatteria, for the current genus name.
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Examples
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joanne commented on the word hatteria
not a place to buy hats but a new zealand lizard, apparently.
February 3, 2009