What does chameleon mean?
Word: Chameleon
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Chameleon means a small lizard whose skin can change colour; also a person who keeps changing their views or behaviour to fit in.
Word origin: Through Latin from Greek khamaileon.
How do you spell chameleon?
Syllables: cha - me - le - on
Tricky part: The first sound is k, but it is written ch, as in chemist and chorus.
Watch out for: kameleon, cameleon
Memory tip: In a science lab you might find a chemist studying a chameleon: the person and the lizard both start with a k sound written ch.
Chameleon in a sentence
Example 1: The chameleon on the guava branch slowly turned from green to brown.
Example 2: A chameleon's eyes can move separately, so it can look in two directions at once.
Example 3: Ananya is a social chameleon who fits in with every group in the class.
Fun Fact
A chameleon's tongue can be longer than its own body, and it shoots out in a fraction of a second to catch insects.
Practise the CREST Way
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Chameleon comes from a Greek word that joins two ideas. What does that Greek word mean?
a) ground lion
b) tree snake
c) green lizard
d) changing skin
Show answer
a) ground lion. The Greek khamai means "on the ground" and leon means "lion", so the lizard was named a "ground lion".
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) chamelion
b) champion
c) medallion
d) pavilion
Show answer
a) chamelion. This word ends in e-o-n, even though champion, pavilion and medallion all end in -ion.
Jumble Tumble
Which option has letters that you can rearrange to form the name of an animal?
a) ealehmnoc
b) nmzaeaig
c) rblamuel
d) phtnoleee
Show answer
a) ealehmnoc. One set makes chameleon; the others make telephone, magazine and umbrella, which are not animals.
Word Tally
Each correctly spelt word earns 2 marks. How many marks does this list earn?
chameleon, iguana, crocodile, tortoise, salamandar
a) 8
b) 4
c) 6
d) 10
Show answer
a) 8. Only salamander is wrong, because it ends in -er; the other four are right (4 x 2 = 8).
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why is a person who copies whoever they are with sometimes called a chameleon?
a) they like to sit in the sun all day
b) they have very sharp eyesight
c) they move very slowly and quietly
d) they change to match their surroundings
Show answer
d) they change to match their surroundings
2. Chameleons belong to which group of animals?
a) mammals
b) reptiles
c) insects
d) amphibians
Show answer
b) reptiles
