Gila monster
noun
a large, venomous lizard, Heloderma suspectum, of the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico, covered with beadlike scales of yellow, orange, and black.
Origin of Gila monster
1875–80,
Americanism; after
Gila
Example sentences from the Web for gila monster
The Gila-monster, tarantula, the scorpion and thelyphonus, scolopender and julus occur in some localities in the rainy season.
British Dictionary definitions for gila monster
Gila monster
/ (ˈhiːlə) /
noun
a large venomous brightly coloured lizard, Heloderma suspectum, inhabiting deserts of the southwestern US and Mexico and feeding mostly on eggs and small mammals: family Helodermatidae
Word Origin for Gila monster
C19: after the
Gila, a river in New Mexico and Arizona