tuatara
[ too-uh-tahr-uh ]
/ ˌtu əˈtɑr ə /
noun
a large, primarily nocturnal, lizardlike reptile, Sphenodon punctatum, of islands near the coast of New Zealand: the only surviving rhynchocephalian.
Also
tu·a·te·ra
[too-uh-tair-uh] /ˌtu əˈtɛər ə/.
Also called
sphenodon.
Origin of tuatara
1810–20; < Maori, equivalent to
tua dorsal +
tara spine
Words nearby tuatara
tu.,
tuamotu archipelago,
tuan,
tuareg,
tuart,
tuatara,
tuatha dé danann,
tuatua,
tub,
tub chair,
tub-thump
British Dictionary definitions for tuatara
tuatara
/ (ˌtuːəˈtɑːrə) /
noun
a greenish-grey lizard-like rhynchocephalian reptile, Sphenodon punctatus, occurring only on certain small islands near New Zealand: it is the sole surviving member of a group common in Mesozoic times
Word Origin for tuatara
C19: from Māori, from
tua back +
tara spine