camaleão

Portuguese

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin chamaeleon, from Ancient Greek χαμαιλέων (khamailéōn) from χαμαί (khamaí, “on the earth, on the ground”) + λέων (léōn, “lion”).

Pronunciation

 
  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ka.ma.leˈɐ̃w̃/ [ka.ma.leˈɐ̃ʊ̯̃], /ka.ma.liˈɐ̃w̃/ [ka.ma.lɪˈɐ̃ʊ̯̃], (faster pronunciation) /ka.maˈljɐ̃w̃/ [ka.maˈljɐ̃ʊ̯̃]
    • (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /ka.ma.leˈɐ̃w̃/ [ka.ma.leˈɐ̃ʊ̯̃]
  • (Portugal) IPA(key): /kɐ.mɐˈljɐ̃w̃/

Noun

camaleão m (plural camaleões, feminine (nonstandard) camaleoa, feminine plural (nonstandard) camaleoas)

  1. chameleon (reptile)

Usage notes

The feminine equivalent camaleoa may be used by analogy with leão, leoa (“lion, lioness”), but it is nonetheless nonstandard. The standard form to refer to a female chameleon is um camaleão-fêmea, which is also of the masculine gender grammatically.

Descendants

  • → Guajajára: kàmàriàw

Further reading

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