Agama

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A lizard belonging to the family Agamidae, found primarily in Africa, Asia, and Australia, characterized by a flattened body, spiky dorsal crest, and ability to change color
2. A type of lizard from the Agamidae family that is predominantly located in Asia, Africa, and Australia, distinguished by its flat body, spiny back, and color-changing capability
3. This is a lizard species within the Agamidae family, known for living across Africa, Asia, and Australia, with features like a flattened shape, spiny crest, and the ability to alter its skin color

Etymology: The lizard's name arrived in English from a language spoken far from its natural range. "Agama" was borrowed from Sranan Tongo, the creole language of Suriname in South America, where the word meant simply "lizard." That creole word was itself taken from a Gbe language of West Africa, and the closest relative still in use is Ewe, where "agama" refers to the chameleon. The lizards in question are native to Africa, Asia, and Australia, so the name travelled across the Atlantic and back to the continent of its linguistic origin before reaching English-speaking naturalists. The path through Suriname makes sense once you consider the trade routes of the colonial period, when Gbe-speaking Africans were carried to the Americas and their vocabulary took root in the creoles that developed there. The word preserved the African meaning of "chameleon" in Ewe while the Sranan form broadened to a general term for lizards, a shift that shows how a single word can narrow or widen as it crosses speech communities.