Definition of "reptilian" [rep•til•i•an]

• Of or relating to reptiles. (adjective)
• Resembling or characteristic of a reptile. (adjective)
• Despicable; treacherous. (adjective)
• A reptile. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It's part of what we call the reptilian core of the brain, associated with wanting, with motivation, with focus and with craving."
• "The oldest, which he calls the reptilian brain, controls aggression and passionate impulsiveness."
• "One pays according to an iron schedule -- for every strength the balanced weakness; for every high a corresponding low; for every fictitious god-like moment an equivalent time in reptilian slime."