lacertae

Lacertae is a Latin term that appears in both biological and astronomical nomenclature. In classical Latin, lacerta means lizard, and lacertae is the feminine plural nominative form, translating as “the lizards.” The same word also yields lacertae as the genitive singular form, meaning “of the lizard.” In scholarly usage, these linguistic forms appear in descriptions, names, and phrases that reference lizards or follow Latin conventions for naming.

In astronomy, Lacerta is the name of a small northern constellation. The genitive form of the constellation, Lacertae, is used in star designations to indicate that a given object lies within that constellation. For example, V Lacertae designates a variable star in Lacerta. This practice follows the standard astronomical convention of adding the genitive of a constellation name to a variable-star designation.

In taxonomy and historical scientific writing, lacertae may appear as part of Latin phrases describing lizards or as a form within species or descriptive texts. Today it is not commonly used as an independent proper noun; instead, modern taxonomic names use standardized Latin forms for taxa and their descriptors.

See also Lacerta, the constellation; Lacertidae, the family that includes true lizards; Lacerta (genus), a historical genus name in the family Lacertidae.