reptile
UK[ˈrɛptaɪl]US[ˈrɛpˌtaɪl]
n
a cold-blooded animal that has a backbone, lays eggs, and has skin covered with scales or hard plates, such as a snake, lizard, crocodile, or turtle.
n
(informal, disapproving) a person who is unpleasant or cannot be trusted.
Morpheme Breakdown
rept
ile
rept
creep
ile
tending to
Etymology
the word 'reptile' entered english in the late 14th century via old french from the latin 'reptilis', meaning 'creeping'. this latin term is derived from the verb 'repere', 'to creep or crawl', which itself is reconstructed from the proto-indo-european root rep-, meaning 'to creep, slither'. the original latin sense described the characteristic movement of snakes and lizards. over time, the term evolved from a descriptive adjective into a noun, becoming the standard scientific classification for a class of cold-blooded, scaly vertebrates, while also developing a metaphorical sense for a deceitful person.
Analysis
Structure: rept (creep) + ile (tending to)
rept originates from the latin verb 'repere', meaning 'to creep, crawl'. the suffix ile comes from latin '-ilis', an adjectival suffix meaning 'pertaining to, capable of, tending to'.
Examples
snakes, lizards, and crocodiles are all classified as reptiles.
the biology class studied the anatomy of various reptiles.
he's a cold-blooded reptile who would betray anyone for money.