moloch

[prettygoodword]

Lizard week is over, but I miiiiight have a few extras left over ...


moloch (MOH-lok, MOL-uhk) - n., a spiny Australian lizard (Moloch horridus).


Lives in the desert and eats ants. Named after a Canaanite god associated with child sacrifice mentioned in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. What the Canaanites called the god is uncertain -- what's survived is the Hebrew form, where mlk, king is pronounced with the vowels of bosheth, shame. The lizard, on the other hand, is definitely also called thorny devil and mountain devil, and justly so:


Thanks, WikiMedia!

---L.

Comments

[minoanmiss]

TBH, I most love learning the etymology of Moloch. I've always had a special place in my heart for him.

[prettygoodword]

^_^