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alligator - 5 dictionary results
al⋅li⋅ga⋅tor
[al-i-gey-ter] 
ɪˌgeɪ
–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. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To alligator
| al·li·ga·tor (āl'ĭ-gā'tər) n.
[Alteration of Spanish el lagarto, the lizard : el, the (from Latin ille, that; see al-1 in Indo-European roots) + lagarto, lizard (from Latin lacertus).] Word History: In The Travailes of an Englishman, published in 1568, Job Hortop says that "in this river we killed a monstrous Lagarto or Crocodile." This killing gives rise to the first recorded instance of alligator in English, obviously in a different form from the one familiar to modern speakers. Alligator, which comes to us from Spanish el lagarto, "the lizard," was modified in pronunciation and form in several ways before taking on the form alligator. Such changes, referred to by linguists as taboo deformation, are not uncommon in a name for something that is feared and include, for example, the change in sequence of the r and t that occurred between el lagarto and alligator. An interesting parallel case is crocodile, which appears in Spanish, for example, as cocodrilo, with a similar difference in the sequence of the r. The earliest recorded form of alligator that is similar to ours appears in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (First Folio, 1623): "In his needie shop a tortoyrs hung,/An Allegater stuft." |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Alligator
Al"li*ga`tor\, n. [Sp. el lagarto the lizard (el lagarto de Indias, the cayman or American crocodile), fr. L. lacertus, lacerta, lizard. See Lizard.]1. (Zo["o]l.) A large carnivorous reptile of the Crocodile family, peculiar to America. It has a shorter and broader snout than the crocodile, and the large teeth of the lower jaw shut into pits in the upper jaw, which has no marginal notches. Besides the common species of the southern United States, there are allied species in South America. 2. (Mech.) Any machine with strong jaws, one of which opens like the movable jaw of an alligator; as, (a) (Metal Working) a form of squeezer for the puddle ball; (b) (Mining) a rock breaker; (c) (Printing) a kind of job press, called also alligator press. Alligator apple (Bot.), the fruit of the Anona palustris, a West Indian tree. It is said to be narcotic in its properties. --Loudon. Alligator fish (Zo["o]l.), a marine fish of northwestern America (Podothecus acipenserinus). Alligator gar (Zo["o]l.), one of the gar pikes (Lepidosteus spatula) found in the southern rivers of the United States. The name is also applied to other species of gar pikes. Alligator pear (Bot.), a corruption of Avocado pear. See Avocado. Alligator snapper, Alligator tortoise, Alligator turtle (Zo["o]l.), a very large and voracious turtle (Macrochelys lacertina) inhabiting the rivers of the southern United States. It sometimes reaches the weight of two hundred pounds. Unlike the common snapping turtle, to which the name is sometimes erroneously applied, it has a scaly head and many small scales beneath the tail. This name is sometimes given to other turtles, as to species of Trionyx. Alligator wood, the timber of a tree of the West Indies (Guarea Swartzii).
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : alligator
Spanish:
caimán,
German:
der Alligator,
Japanese:
わに
alligator
1568, lagarto, modern form attested from 1623, 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 see you later, alligator is from a 1957 song title.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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alligator
- An option spread in which the commissions are so large a part of any potential profit that the investor gets eaten alive. Obviously, alligator spreads are of greater benefit to the broker than to the investor.
Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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