chameleon

(kə-mēlˈyən, -mēˈlē-ən)

noun

1. Any of various tropical Old World lizards of the family Chamaeleonidae, characterized by their ability to change color.
2. See anole.
3. A changeable or inconstant person: “In his testimony, the nominee came off as . . . a chameleon of legal philosophy” (Joseph A. Califano, Jr.)

Related Forms:

• cha·meˌle·onˈic (-lē-ŏnˈĭk) adjective

Word History: The words referring to the animal chameleon and the plant chamomile are related etymologically by a reference to the place one would expect to find them, that is, on the ground. The first part of both words goes back to the Greek form khamai, meaning “on the ground.” What is found on the ground in each case is quite different, of course. The khamaileōn is a “lion [leōn] on the ground,” a term translating the Akkadian phrase nēš qaqqari. The khamaimēlon is “an apple [mēlon] on the ground,” so named because the blossoms of at least one variety of this creeping herb have an applelike scent. Both words are first found in Middle English, chameleon in a work composed before 1382 and chamomile in a work written in 1373.