n. [ L. Chamaeleon, Gr. chamaile`wn, lit., “ground lion;” chamai` on the ground + le`wn lion. ] (Zool.) a lizard of Africa and Madagascar able to change skin color and having a projectile tongue. Syn. -- chameleon. [ WordNet 1.5 ]
n. a natural family comprising the Old World chameleons; in some classifications Rhiptoglossa is considered a superfamily of Sauria. Syn. -- family Chamaeleontidae, family Chamaeleonidae, Rhiptoglossa, family Rhiptoglossa. [ WordNet 1.5 ]