A small lizard, often with sticky toe pads, that can climb smooth surfaces and sometimes makes clicking or chirping sounds.
From Malay *gekok* or a related word, imitating the sound some geckos make. European explorers and traders picked up the local name along with the animal. It entered English in the 18th century.
A gecko’s name is basically a sound effect: people named it after the noise it makes. Its toe pads use microscopic hairs and weak molecular forces to cling to walls and ceilings, turning a tiny lizard into a real-life climbing superhero.
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