English → Latin
“chameleon” in Latin
versipellisshape-shifting, capable of transforming itself or altering its appearance; sly, cunning, craftycumwith, along with; at (denoting a point in time with which an action coincides); -fold (with ordinal number)
The English word chameleon itself goes back to Latin chamaeleōn.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
chameleon
*lacerta Chamaeleon.
FIG., versipellis (Com.: qui mutat naturam suam atque huc illuc torquet.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for chameleon?
- The usual Latin words for “chameleon” are versipellis, cum. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.