An archaic or variant spelling of chameleon, a lizard known for its ability to change skin color to match its surroundings.
From Greek 'chamaileon,' literally 'ground lion' (from 'chamai' meaning ground and 'leon' meaning lion). The older spelling 'cameleon' reflects earlier English transliteration of the Greek word before standardization.
Ancient Greeks gave the chameleon such a poetic name—'ground lion'—even though it's a tiny, slow lizard, because they respected its hunting prowess and strange appearance so much they compared it to the king of beasts.
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