French word

reptile

Pronunciation

IPA/ʁɛptil/

Meaning

  • masculine nounreptile

Example

Les reptiles pondent souvent des œufs.

Reptiles often lay eggs.

Illustration for reptile (reptile)

More examples

Ma sœur a un reptile domestique.

My sister has a pet reptile.

Core concept

A cold-blooded, scale-bearing animal moving close to the ground, from a snake to a tortoise.

Common phrases

  • un reptile domestique

    a pet reptile

  • un reptile venimeux

    a venomous reptile

Similar words

serpent: A slender, legless animal with scales that crawls by winding its body.
lézard: A small, quick, four-legged animal with scales, often found near rocks.
tortue: A slow-moving animal with a hard shell that lives on land or near water.

Definition in French

Animal vertébré à sang froid qui se déplace souvent en rampant et qui comprend des espèces comme les serpents, les lézards et les tortues.

Word origin

French reptile comes from Latin reptilis, 'able to creep', related to repere, 'to crawl'.

Usage tips

  • Reptile is masculine: un reptile, and its plural is reptiles; the final -s is silent in both forms.

Opposites

Related words

  • reptilienreptilianadjective

Word lists with this word