CHAMELEON

CHAMELEON
CHAMELEON, reptile of the family Chamaeleonidae, of which only one species, Chamaeleo chamaeleon, is found in Israel. It changes the color of its skin, according to that of its surroundings, to yellow, green, and black. In Aramaic the chameleon was known as zikita (Sanh. 108b), that which snuffs the wind, or hisses, or inflates itself with air. According to Pliny (Historia naturalis, 8:51), it "lives on the air" which it inhales. When in danger, it hisses. It is apparently identical to the tinshemet (from the root נשם, "to breathe"), which is included among unclean, swarming things (Lev. 11:30); however, in verse 18, tinshemet is mentioned among the birds and refers to a bird that hisses (see owls ). -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Tristram, Nat Hist, 262; J. Feliks, Animal World of the Bible (1962), 101; Lewysohn, Zool, 224f. (Jehuda Feliks)

Encyclopedia Judaica. 1971.

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  • Chameleon — Éditeur Jaleco Développeur Jaleco Date de sortie 1983 Plate forme Arcade Chameleon est un jeu vidéo de sorti en 1983 sur borne d arcade. Le j …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Chameleon — bezeichnet: Chameleon (Helloween Album), ein Album der Band Helloween Chameleon (Labelle Album), ein Album des Trios Labelle Siehe auch: Chamäleon Diese Seite ist eine …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • chameleon — (n.) mid 14c., from O.Fr. chaméléon, from L. chamaeleon, from Gk. khamaileon the chameleon, from khamai on the ground (also dwarf ), akin to chthon earth (see CHTHONIC (Cf. chthonic)) + leon lion (see LION (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • Chameleon — Cha*me le*on (k[.a]*m[=e] l[ e]*[u^]n), n. [L. Chamaeleon, Gr. chamaile wn, lit., ground lion; chamai on the ground + le wn lion. See {Humble}, and {Lion}.] (Zo[ o]l.) 1. A lizardlike reptile of the genus {Cham[ae]leo}, of several species, found… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chameleon — [kə mē′lē ən, kəmēl′yən] n. [ME camelioun < L chamaeleon < Gr chamaileōn < chamai, on the ground (akin to chthōn, earth: see HOMAGE) + leōn, LION] 1. any of various Old World lizards (family Chamaeleontidae) with an angular head,… …   English World dictionary

  • chameleon — (also chamaeleon) ► NOUN ▪ a small slow moving lizard with a long extensible tongue, protruding eyes, and the ability to change colour. DERIVATIVES chameleonic adjective. ORIGIN Greek khamaile n, from khamai on the ground + le n lion …   English terms dictionary

  • Chameleon — For other uses, see Chameleon (disambiguation). Chameleon Common Chameleon, Chamaeleo chamaeleon Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • chameleon — chameleonic /keuh mee lee on ik/, adj. chameleonlike, adj. /keuh mee lee euhn, meel yeuhn/, n. 1. any of numerous Old World lizards of the family Chamaeleontidae, characterized by the ability to change the color of their skin, very slow… …   Universalium

  • Chameleon — El término Chameleon puede referirse a: Chameleon Twist, un videojuego de plataformas para Nintendo 64. Chameleon Twist 2, la secuela del juego Chameleon Twist. Chameleon, un personaje del videojuego de lucha Mortal Kombat. Chameleon (álbum), un… …   Wikipedia Español

  • chameleon — UK [kəˈmiːlɪən] / US [kəˈmɪlɪən] noun [countable] Word forms chameleon : singular chameleon plural chameleons 1) a type of small lizard with skin that changes colour to match the colours around it 2) someone who changes their opinions, ideas, or… …   English dictionary

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