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alligator

 [al-i-gey-ter]   Example Sentences Origin

al·li·ga·tor

   [al-i-gey-ter]
noun
1.
either of two broad-snouted crocodilians of the genus Alligator, of the southeastern U.S. and eastern China.
2.
(loosely) any broad-snouted crocodilian, as a caiman.
3.
Metallurgy. a machine for bringing the balls of iron from a puddling furnace into compact form so that they can be handled.
4.
Jazz. an enthusiastic fan of swing.
verb (used without object)
5.
(of paint, varnish, or the like) to crack and acquire the appearance of alligator hide, as from weathering or improper application to a surface.
6.
Metalworking. (of a rolled metal slab) to split and curl up and down at one end; fishmouth.

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Alligator is always a great word to know.
So is static equilibrium. Does it mean:
state of an object when sum of all forces acting on it equal zero
says square of period of any planet is proportional to cube of semimajor axis of its orbit
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Origin:
1560–70; < Spanish el lagarto the lizard < Vulgar Latin *ille that + *lacartus, for Latin lacertus lizard
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To alligator
Example Sentences
  • All it really takes is hooking the handset's alligator clamps to a set of exposed telephone wires and syncing up the handset.
  • It's little more than a trussed up wall phone with a small dialing pad and alligator clips for tapping directly into a line.
  • Alligator poachers have been known to hide in the bends of mangrove trees while on the hunt.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
alligator (ˈælɪˌɡeɪtə)
 
—n
1.  a large crocodilian, Alligator mississipiensis, of the southern US, having powerful jaws and sharp teeth and differing from the crocodiles in having a shorter and broader snout: family Alligatoridae (alligators and caymans)
2.  a similar but smaller species, A. sinensis, occurring in China near the Yangtse River
3.  any crocodilian belonging to the family Alligatoridae
4.  any of various tools or machines having adjustable toothed jaws, used for gripping, crushing, or compacting
 
[C17: from Spanish el lagarto the lizard, from Latin lacerta]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

alligator
1560s, lagarto, modern form attested from 1620s, a corruption of Sp. el lagarto (de Indias) "the lizard (of the Indies)," from L. lacertus (see lizard). Alligarter was an early variant. The slang meaning "non-playing devotee of swing music" is attested from 1936; the phrase
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see you later, alligator is from a 1957 song title.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

alligator definition


and gator
  1. n.
    a long, heavy, black segment of the outside of a tire, usually a truck tire, found on the highway. : We dodged off onto the shoulder to avoid running over an alligator. , A gator bashed in the bottom of my gas tank.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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