crocodile

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English

Nile crocodiles
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Etymology

From Middle English cocodrill, cokadrill, cokedril, from Old French cocodril (modern French crocodile), from Medieval Latin cocodrillus, from Latin crocodilus, from Ancient Greek κροκόδειλος (krokódeilos). The word was later refashioned after the Latin and Greek forms. Doublet of krokodil.

The verb is derived from the noun as a calque of Esperanto krokodili

Pronunciation

  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈkɹɑkədaɪl/,
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈkɹɒkədaɪl/
    • Audio (Southern England)(file)
  • Hyphenation: croc‧o‧dile

Noun

crocodile (plural crocodiles)

  1. Any of the predatory amphibious reptiles of the family Crocodylidae; (loosely) a crocodilian, any species of the order Crocodilia, which also includes the alligators, caimans and gavials.
    • 2005, Mwelwa Musambachime, Basic Facts on Zambia, page 97:
      Industrial and rural expansion is shrinking and destroying the Nile crocodile's natural habitat. The Nile crocodiles, in particular, have been a source of highly durable leather for a variety of products which can be crafted and manufactured.
    • 2008, Walkter B. Wood, “Chapter 16: Forensic Identification in Fatal Crocodile Attacks”, in Marc Oxenham, editor, Forensic Approaches to Death, Disaster and Abuse, page 244:
      Two species of crocodile inhabit Australian waterways: (a) the saltwater Crocodile — Crocodylus porosus, and (b) the freshwater crocodile — Crocodylus johnstoni.
    • 2011, Sam Thaker, The Crocodile's Teeth, page 31:
      One contained some brightly-coloured tropical birds, one a python and the other a large and very lively crocodile.
      I told the customer that the boxes containing the crocodile and the python were not packed to my satisfaction, as there were not enough nails securing them.
  2. A long line or procession of people (especially children) walking together.
    • 1939, George Orwell, Coming Up for Air, part 2, chapter 8:
      Sometimes the kids from the slap-up boys' schools in Eastbourne used to be led round in crocodiles to hand out fags and peppermint creams to the 'wounded Tommies', as they called us.
  3. (logic) A fallacious dilemma, mythically supposed to have been first used by a crocodile.
    • 1798, Maria Edgeworth, Practical Education:
      We have seen syllogisms, crocodiles, enthymemas, sorites, &c. explained and tried upon a boy of nine or ten years old in playful conversation […]

Synonyms

  • (predatory amphibious reptile): croc (informal)

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

Translations

Verb

crocodile (third-person singular simple present crocodiles, present participle crocodiling, simple past and past participle crocodiled)

  1. (intransitive, slang) To speak another language than Esperanto at an Esperanto-language gathering.

Translations

See also

References

  1. ^ Hyphenation exception log, Barbara Beeton, 2015, online at

French

Etymology

From Old French cocodril, inherited from Latin crocodīlus with metathesis, later respelled to match the Latin form. Compare English crocodile, itself respelled from Middle English cocodrill.

Pronunciation

Noun

crocodile m (plural crocodiles)

  1. crocodile

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

Further reading

Norman

Etymology

From Old French cocodril, from Medieval Latin cocodrillus, from Classical Latin crocodilus, from Ancient Greek κροκόδειλος (krokódeilos).

Noun

crocodile f (plural crocodiles)

  1. (Jersey) crocodile
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