Hypertext Webster Gateway: "chameleon"
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary (easton)
Chameleon
a species of lizard which has the faculty of changing the colour
of its skin. It is ranked among the unclean animals in Lev.
11:30, where the Hebrew word so translated is _coah_ (R.V.,
"land crocodile"). In the same verse the Hebrew _tanshemeth_,
rendered in Authorized Version "mole," is in Revised Version
"chameleon," which is the correct rendering. This animal is very
common in Egypt and in the Holy Land, especially in the Jordan
valley.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Chameleon \Cha*me"le*on\ (k[.a]*m[=e]"l[-e]*[u^]n), n. [L.
Chamaeleon, Gr. chamaile`wn, lit., ``ground lion;'' chamai`
on the ground + le`wn lion. See {Humble}, and {Lion}.]
(Zo["o]l.)
A lizardlike reptile of the genus {Cham[ae]leo}, of several
species, found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. The skin is
covered with fine granulations; the tail is prehensile, and
the body is much compressed laterally, giving it a high back.
Note: Its color changes more or less with the color of the
objects about it, or with its temper when disturbed. In
a cool, dark place it is nearly white, or grayish; on
admitting the light, it changes to brown, bottle-green,
or blood red, of various shades, and more or less
mottled in arrangment. The American chameleons belong
to {Anolis} and allied genera of the family
{Iguanid[ae]}. They are more slender in form than the
true chameleons, but have the same power of changing
their colors.
{Chameleon mineral} (Chem.), the compound called {potassium
permanganate}, a dark violet, crystalline substance,
{KMnO4}, which in formation passes through a peculiar
succession of color from green to blue, purple, red, etc.
See {Potassium permanganate}, under {Potassium}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
Chameleon
n 1: a faint constellation in the polar region of the southern
hemisphere near Apus and Mensa [syn: {Chamaeleon}, {Chameleon}]
2: lizard of Africa and Madagascar able to change skin color
and having a projectile tongue [syn: {chamaeleon}]
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