What does gecko mean?
A gecko is a type of lizard belonging to the family Gekkonidae. Most geckos are relatively small, active at night, and famous for their remarkable ability to climb walls, ceilings, and other smooth surfaces using adhesive pads on their toes. Their toes contain microscopic structures that create attractive forces, allowing many species to move easily across glass, metal, and polished wood. Geckos are found in warm regions around the world and feed chiefly on insects, although some larger species eat other small vertebrates or plant material. The word is familiar in both everyday speech and specialist writing, and geckos are popular as household pets, especially the leopard gecko and crested gecko. Although a gecko is plainly a lizard rather than a separate kind of animal, its distinctive climbing abilities make it an especially recognizable and memorable member of the lizard family.
nounA gecko is any member of the lizard family Gekkonidae, a diverse group of small to large lizards, many of which are nocturnal and have adhesive pads on their toes.
- A gecko is a lizard belonging to the family Gekkonidae, characterized in many species by adhesive toe pads, slender toes, and nocturnal habits.
"A gecko silently hunted insects along the warm wall of the veranda."
"A gecko clung to the window while it hunted moths outside."
"The crested gecko became one of the most popular species kept as a household pet."
The standard plural adds “-s”; the singular form is retained unchanged in attributive use, as in “a gecko lizard.”
"Several geckos lived among the rocks near the coast."
A gecko can climb smooth surfaces using millions of microscopic structures on its toe pads, earning it the nickname “nature’s suction cup.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of gecko
The English word was borrowed through French from New Latin “gecko.” Its ultimate source is a South Asian word, commonly identified with Malayalam “gēkku.” The name was already in use in English by the late sixteenth century, well before geckos became familiar subjects of natural history and popular pet-keeping.
How gecko is actually used
“Gecko” is a general common noun that can refer to any member of a large and varied family, not merely one particular species. The usual plural is “geckos.”