reptilian
pronunciation
How to pronounce reptilian in British English:
UK [rep'tɪlɪən]
How to pronounce reptilian in American English:
US [rɛpˈtɪlɪən]
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- Noun:
- any cold-blooded vertebrate of the class Reptilia including tortoises turtles snakes lizards alligators crocodiles and extinct forms
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- Adjective:
- of or relating to the class Reptilia
Word Origin
- reptilian (adj.)
- 1846, from reptile + -ian. Transferred meaning "malignant, cold, underhanded" is from 1859.
Example
- 1. He explained that that boy only had what was called a reptilian brain stem .
- 2. A reptilian brain stem is not capable of maintaining basic bodily functions such as breathing , heart or liver .
- 3. Reptiles might also experience rem , and some scientists argue that our mammalian dreaming might be a holdover from our reptilian brains .
- 4. The reptilian mind is usually equated in the human one with traits like aggression , dominance and sexual appetite .
- 5. However , the mammalian ( or emotional ) brain never disappears , and reptilian instincts come to the fore in a crisis .