gecko
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɡɛk.əʊ/
ipa: /ˈɡɛk.oʊ/
rhymes: -ɛkəʊ
Forms: form: geckos
form: geckoes
form: chacco
form: geco
form: gekko
form: jackoa
Etymology: The modern form was probably borrowed into English and other European languages from Dutch gekko (1718). Contemporary English forms were chacco (1711) and jackoa (1724). The further origin is not quite clear. Some sources mention a supposed Malay gekok, gekoq, or gekop, which would be imitative of the gecko’s chirping sound. Another theory derives it from Acehnese gèh-gòh (“busy”).
Senses: glosses: Any lizard in the infraorder Gekkota.
examples: text: Order II. Sauria. […] The heart has two auricles. The body is covered with scales, and there are three or four feet. The lungs are large, and extend along the back. The mouth is armed with teeth, and the toes with claws. The tail is long, and often thick at the base. […] Geckotida—geco
ref: 1839, William Rhind, “Reptiles”, in Elements of Zoology; Embracing a View of Life as Manifested in the Various Gradations of Organized Beings, Edinburgh: Fraser & Crawford; John Anderson, Junior; and Maclachlan & Stewart; Smith, Elder, & Co. and H. Washbourne, London; W. Curry, Junior, & Co. Dublin, →OCLC, pages 85–86:
text: Leishmania infantum in Experimental Animals.—Experiments were carried out with geckoes, white mice, field mice (Microtus güntheri) and hamsters (Cricetus auratus and Cricetulus griseus).
ref: 1931, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: Biological Sciences, volume 108, London: Royal Society of London, →OCLC, page 456:
text: GECKOES constitute a family of lizards remarkable for the large number of species it contains. They are also remarkable for a number of other features: for the readiness with which they have taken to living in houses, for their voices, the structure of their feet, the variation in the shape of the tail and for their eyes. […] As with the more familiar lizards, geckoes have the ability to cast the tail, and counts show that in some species two out of every five individuals have cast the tail and regenerated a new one.
ref: 1962, Maurice Burton, “Geckoes”, in The Illustrated London News, volume CCXL, number II, London: Illustrated London News & Sketch Ltd., →OCLC, page 548:
text: Family Gekkonidae (gekkos). In gekkos the skull is short and flat; the upper temporal bone arch is missing; the post-orbital and lacrimal bones are absent; and the jugal bone is very reduced.
ref: 1971, Victorian Year Book, Melbourne, Vic.: Government Printer, →OCLC, page 23:
text: Many lizards, including the British common and sand lizards of the family Lacertidae, clamber over rocks with great agility; none matches the geckoes, some of which can run up, down, or across vertical glass as easily as most beasts run on the flat, and indeed can happily traverse ceilings.
ref: 1975 September 27, Colin Tudge, “How Gekko gecko defies gravity: A careful anatomical study of geckoes, those extremely agile climbing lizards, reveals an extraordinary degree of adaptation of the foot bones and muscles”, in New Scientist, volume 67, number 968, London: New Science Publications, →OCLC, page 696:
text: Other reptiles found in the district are the chamaeleon, geco and monitor lizard, the last getting extinct due to netting and shooting. It is now protected by law.
ref: 1988, Uttar Pradesh District Gazetteers: Aligarh, volume 20, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India: Government of Uttar Pradesh, →OCLC, page 15:
text: The marvelous ability of geckos to run down trees, surefooted and head first, was first noted by Aristotle over two thousand years ago. However, Aristotle was not able to see the tiny hairs, called setae, that cover the toes of geckos and empower this feat. The setae are part of an adhesive system that allows geckos to maneuver on a wide variety of substrates, to run upside-down, and to arrest their falls. Geckos can run vertically at over 1 m/s and can carry over twice their body weight up smooth, vertical surfaces.
ref: 2009 January, Ginel Corina Hill, “Introduction”, in Dual-axis MEMS Force Sensors for Gecko Adhesion Studies (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation), Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University, →OCLC, page 1:
text: The potential uses for gecko-inspired adhesive products are nearly endless. People have found possible uses for them from sports and robotics, to medicine and home improvement.
ref: 2014, Wil Mara, From Gecko Feet to Adhesive Tape (Innovations from Nature), Ann Arbor, Mich.: Cherry Lake Publishing, →ISBN, pages 21–22:
text: By day, Golden-tailed Geckoes rest under curls of bark, the underside of branches, or in tree hollows but they seem to be fond of heat so these geckoes may even be in a situation where the sun shines on their daytime retreat all day. The Golden-tailed Gecko is an invertebrate-eater and by night its adhesive toe pads allow it to prowl the branches of Brigalow trees with ease, looking for small insects and spiders to capture.
ref: 2016, Martyn Robinson, Australian Wildlife after Dark, Clayton, Vic.: CSIRO Publishing, →ISBN:
synonyms: geckotid
geckotian
gekkonid
hypernyms: lizard
glosses: Any lizard of the family Gekkonidae of small, carnivorous, mostly nocturnal animals with large eyes and adhesive toes enabling them to climb on vertical and upside-down surfaces.
Hyponyms: english: Cyrtopodion spp. and Cyrtodactylus spp.
translation: Cyrtopodion spp. and Cyrtodactylus spp.
word: bent-toed gecko
taxonomic: Chondrodactylus bibronii
word: Bibron's gecko
taxonomic: Hemidactylus frenatus
word: common house gecko
taxonomic: Correlophus ciliatus
word: crested gecko
taxonomic: Tarentola mauritanica
word: crocodile gecko
taxonomic: Phelsuma spp.
word: day gecko
word: Durrell's night gecko
taxonomic: Sphaerodactylus spp.
word: dwarf gecko
taxonomic: Correlophus ciliatus
word: eyelash gecko
taxonomic: Ptychozoon spp.
word: flying gecko
taxonomic: Luperosaurus spp.
word: fringed gecko
taxonomic: Rhacodactylus auriculatus
word: gargoyle gecko
taxonomic: Phelsuma laticauda
word: gold dust day gecko
taxonomic: Hemidactylus spp.
word: house gecko
taxonomic: Hemidactylus garnotii
word: Indo-Pacific gecko
alt: Saltaurius eximus
word: leaf-tailed gecko
taxonomic: Eublepharis macularius
word: leopard gecko
word: Mediterranean gecko
taxonomic: Hemidactylus turcicus
word: Mediterranean house gecko
taxonomic: Tarentola mauritanica
word: Moorish gecko
taxonomic: Lepidodactylus lugubris
word: mourning gecko
taxonomic: Rhacodactylus leachianus
word: New Caledonian giant gecko
taxonomic: Ptychozoon spp.
word: parachute gecko
taxonomic: Cyrtodactylus laangensis
word: Phnom Laang bent-toed gecko
taxonomic: Gehyra mutilata
word: stump-toed gecko
taxonomic: Cyrtodactylus tanahjampea
word: Tanahjampea bent-toed gecko
taxonomic: Microgecko tanishpaensis
word: Tanishpa's dwarf gecko
taxonomic: Gekko gecko
word: tokay gecko
taxonomic: Hemidactylus mabouia
word: tropical house gecko
word: wall gecko
taxonomic: Elasmodactylus tuberculosus
word: warty thick-toed gecko
alt: Palmatogecko rangei
word: web-footed gecko
taxonomic: Coleonyx variegatus
word: western banded gecko
taxonomic: Tenuidactylus elongatus
word: Yangihissar gecko
Derived terms: gekkonine