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crocodile

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croc⋅o⋅dile

  [krok-uh-dahyl]
–noun
1. any of several crocodilians of the genus Crocodylus, found in sluggish waters and swamps of the tropics.
2. any reptile of the order Crocodylia; crocodilian.
3. the tanned skin or hide of these animals, used in the manufacture of luggage and accessories, as belts, shoes, and wallets.
4. Chiefly British. a file of people, esp. schoolchildren, out for a walk.
5. Archaic. a person who makes a hypocritical show of sorrow.
Use crocodile in a Sentence
Origin:
1250–1300; < L crocodīlus < Gk krokódeilos crocodile, orig. a kind of lizard, said to be equiv. to krók(ē) pebble + -o- -o- + drîlos, dreîlos worm (though attested only in sense “penis”), with r lost by dissimilation r. ME cocodrille < ML cocodrilus

Related forms:
croc⋅o⋅dil⋅oid  [krok-uh-dil-oid, krok-uh-dahy-loid] , adjective
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Crocodile River

 
–noun
Limpopo.

Lim⋅po⋅po

  [lim-poh-poh]
–noun
a river in S Africa, flowing from the N Republic of South Africa, through S Mozambique into the Indian Ocean. 1000 mi. (1600 km) long.
Also called Crocodile River.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To crocodile
croc·o·dile   (krŏk'ə-dīl')   
n.  

  1. Any of various large aquatic reptiles, chiefly of the genus Crocodylus, native to tropical and subtropical regions and having thick, armorlike skin and long tapering jaws.

  2. A crocodilian reptile, such as an alligator, caiman, or gavial.

  3. Leather made from crocodile skin.


[Middle English cocodril, from Old French, from Latin cocodrillus, variant of crocodīlus, from Greek krokodīlos : krokē, pebble + drīlos, circumcised man, worm.]
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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Word Origin & History

crocodile 
1563, restored spelling of M.E. cocodrille (c.1300), from M.L. cocodrillus, from L. crocodilus, from Gk. krokodilos, word applied by Herodotus to the crocodile of the Nile, apparently due to its basking habits, from kroke "pebbles" + drilos "worm." Crocodile tears story was in Eng. from at least c.1400.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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