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tuatara

(to̵̅o̅′ə tä′rə)

noun

either of two primitive, amphibious, lizardlike reptiles (Sphenodon punctatus or S. guntheri) of the SW Pacific, with a row of spines along the back and a well-developed third eye: they are the only rhynchocephalians still in existence

Origin: Maori tuatàra < tua, back (< Proto-Polynesian *tu'a) + tara, spine (< Proto-Polynesian *tala, sharp object)

See tuatara in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. tuatara or tu·a·ta·ras

Either of two nocturnal lizardlike reptiles (Sphenodon punctatus or S. guntheri) that are found only on certain islands off New Zealand and are the only extant members of the Rhynchocephalia, an order that flourished during the Mesozoic Era. Also called sphenodon.

Origin:

Origin: Maori tuatara

Origin: : tua, back

Origin: + tara, spine

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