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.
00:10
Alligator is always a great word to know.
So is law of periods. Does it mean:
diagram showing all of forces acting on an object
says square of period of any planet is proportional to cube of semimajor axis of its orbit

Origin:
1560–70; < Spanish el lagarto the lizard < Vulgar Latin *ille that + *lacartus, for Latin lacertus lizard

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
alligator (ˈælɪˌɡeɪtə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
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
see you later, alligator is from a 1957 song title.
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.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
It's also the home of more alligators, and the site of more alligator attacks,
  than anywhere else.
Not too many alligator-infested areas in any of the areas covered by my various
  maps, charts, and what-have-you.
The problem is not, in my opinion, alligator regulators but myna bird
  legislators.
The suitcase he used, one of those alligator-print jobs, was hauled down from
  the attic.
Images for alligator
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