chameleon
part of speech
noun (a chameleon, chameleons)
meaning for a pupil
1) A chameleon is a kind of lizard that can change the colour of its skin, has eyes that move separately, and catches insects with a very long, sticky tongue. tree →
2) (figurative) A person who changes their opinions or behaviour to fit in with whoever they are with is called a chameleon. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science lessons chameleons come up in adaptations: eyes that can look in two directions at once, feet and tail that grip branches, and a tongue that shoots out longer than its body. Many live in Madagascar and Africa. Pupils learn that chameleons change colour mostly to show mood, control temperature and signal to other chameleons, not only to hide.
examples
- The chameleon's tongue shot out and caught a cricket. tree →
- A chameleon can look forward and backward at the same time. tree →
- The chameleon turned bright when it was angry. tree →
- Chameleons grip branches with their feet and curly tail. tree →
- Many chameleons live in Madagascar. tree →
- He's a real chameleon — he agrees with whoever he's talking to. tree →
- The chameleon moved slowly along the branch. tree →
note
Plural «chameleons». Spelling: «ch» is said like «k»: «ka-MEE-lee-un». Myth: chameleons do not simply copy the colour of whatever they sit on; colour change is mainly about mood, temperature and signals.
In the corpora
- Chameleons change colour mostly to show their mood and to warm up or cool down, not mainly to match the background.
- Chameleons change colour mostly to show mood, send signals and control their temperature, not to match whatever they sit on.
- Chameleons change colour mainly for mood, signalling and temperature.
- Chameleons change colour mainly for mood, signalling and temperature, not only to blend in.
- and the gecko, and the land-crocodile, and the lizard, and the sand-lizard, and the chameleon.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «chameleon» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.