gecko

Meaning

Noun

Any lizard of the family Gekkonidae. They are small, carnivorous, mostly nocturnal animals with large eyes and adhesive toes enabling them to climb on vertical and upside-down surfaces.

Verb

To move in the manner of a gecko; to attach to a vertical or upside-down surface.

Synonyms

house lizard

lizard

🦎

house gecko

animal

🐾

small lizard

Gecko verticillatus

agama lizard

kingfisher

rough

Hyphenated as

gec‧ko

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɡɛ.kəʊ/

Etymology

The modern form was probably borrowed into English and other European languages from Dutch gekko (1718). Contemporary English forms were chacco (1711) and jackoa (1724). The further origin is not quite clear. Some sources mention a supposed Malay gekok, gekoq, or gekop, which would be imitative of the gecko’s chirping sound. Another theory derives it from Acehnese gèh-gòh (“busy”).