Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Lacerta \La*cer"ta\, n. [L. a lizard. See {Lizard}.]
   1. (Zo["o]l.) A genus of lizards. See {Lizard}.

   Note: Formerly it included nearly all the known lizards. It
         is now restricted to certain diurnal Old World species,
         like the green lizard ({Lacerta viridis}) and the sand
         lizard ({L. agilis}), of Europe.

   2. (Astron.) The Lizard, a northern constellation.