reptile

• adj. 爬蟲類的；卑鄙的
• n. 爬行動物；卑鄙的人

來自拉丁語 repere,爬行，-t,過去分詞格，來自 PIE*rep,爬行。

reptile (n.)

late 14c., "creeping or crawling animal," from Old French reptile (early 14c.) and directly from Late Latin reptile, noun use of neuter of reptilis (adj.) "creping, crawling," from rept-, past participle stem of repere "to crawl, creep," from PIE root *rep- "to creep, crawl" (cognates: Lithuanian replioju "to creep"). Used of persons of low character from 1749.

Precise scientific use began to develop mid-18c., but the word was used as well at first of animals now known as amphibians, including toads, frogs, salamanders; separation of Reptilia (1835 as a distinct class) and Amphibia took place early 19c.; popular use lagged, and reptile still was used late 18c. with sense "An animal that creeps upon many feet" [Johnson, who calls the scorpion a reptile], sometimes excluding serpents.

And the terrestrial animals may be divided into quadrupeds or beasts, reptiles, which have many feet, and serpents, which have no feet at all. [Locke, "Elements of Natural Philosophy," 1689]

---

An inadvertent step may crush the snail
That crawls at ev'ning in the public path ;
But he that has humanity, forewarn'd,
Will tread aside, and let the reptile live.
[Cowper, "The Task," 1785]

The Old English word for "reptile" was slincend, related to slink.

1. Mammals arose from a fairly primitive reptile in the Mesozoic era.

哺乳類起源於中生代宛若原始的爬蟲類.

來自辭典例句

2. Rise, and don't degrade youself into an abject reptile.

起來, 可別把你自己貶成一個下賤的爬蟲.

來自辭典例句

3. The land is teeming with reptile life.

這片土地多爬行動物.

來自辭典例句

4. The frog is not a true reptile.

青蛙並非真正的爬行動物.

來自辭典例句

5. So you should not be surprised to see someone keep a reptile as a pet.

所以,你不必驚奇有人養了一隻爬行動物作為寵物.

來自英語晨讀30分（高二）