Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Lacerta

Lacerta , noun

[Latin lacertus the arm.]

A fathom. [Obsolete] — Domesday Book

Lacerta , noun

[Latin a lizard. See Lizard.]

1.
(Zoology) A genus of lizards. See Lizard.

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 (Lacerta agilis), of Europe.

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