reptile
REP-tyyl
/ˈrep.taɪl/
A cold-blooded air-breathing vertebrate with skin covered in horny scales or bony plates, typically laying soft-shelled eggs on land.
Emphasizes ectothermic (cold-blooded) regulation and dry, scaly skin.
The story behind the word. The word traces back to Latin 'reptilis', meaning 'creeping or crawling', derived from 'repere' (to crawl). Early naturalists categorized these animals by their ground-scraping movement patterns, long before modern DNA sequencing confirmed their exact evolutionary branches.
Commonly confused with
- amphibian: Reptiles have dry, scaly skin and lay eggs on land, while amphibians have moist skin and start life in water.
Word family
- reptilian (adjective): Relating to or resembling a reptile.
Collocations
- cold-blooded reptile
- reptile habitat
- reptile species
- desert reptile
Example sentences
- "The desert reptile basking on the rock relies on external heat to raise its body temperature." Herpetology
- "Snakes, lizards, and crocodiles all belong to the class of vertebrate animals known as a reptile." Zoology study
Memory hook
Reptiles REPeat crawling motions on the ground. Repere = creep; reptiles crawl.
When not to use
Do not confuse with amphibians, which have moist skin and undergo aquatic larval stages.
Fun facts
- Reptiles were the first vertebrates to develop shelled eggs that allowed complete independence from water bodies.
Related words
Explore more words
terrestrial, tropical, replication, temperate, epidermis, fossil
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.