Sauria

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A suborder of reptiles comprising lizards and their close relatives, characterized by scaly skin and typically four legs; members display a wide range of sizes and habitats; often studied in herpetology as distinct from snakes and other reptiles
2. Reptilian creatures belonging to a group that includes lizards, known for their external ear openings, movable eyelids, and diverse ecological adaptations; distinguished from serpents and other reptilian forms; important in evolutionary and ecological research
3. A classification of reptilian animals that encompasses lizards and related species featuring clawed limbs and external ear structures; covers a broad variety of species found globally; recognized as a major group separate from serpents and amphisbaenians

Etymology: "Sauria" is a New Latin coinage, not a word that ancient speakers ever used. It was introduced in the early 19th century by zoologists classifying reptiles, and it is the plural neuter of the Greek-derived Latin adjective "saurius," meaning "lizard-like," from Greek "sauros," "lizard." The Greek word is a very old one, and it appears in the names of many later lizard-related terms, but "sauria" itself was built on top of it as a scientific label. The name became standard because taxonomists needed a clear grouping for lizards alongside their close relatives. As classification systems were revised over the following century, the group's boundaries shifted repeatedly, and the term was sometimes used for a broader set of reptiles than it covers today. Modern herpetologists generally use it for lizards and related forms, with snakes treated separately.

Synonyms: lizards, reptiles, scaled reptiles