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crocodile

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crocodile¹

  • /ˈkɹɑkədaɪl/ US
  • [ˈkʰɹɑkədaɪɫ] US
  • /ˈkɹɒkədaɪl/ UK
  • /ˈkɹakədo̞ɪl/
  • /ˈkɹakədəɪl/
  • /ˈkɾakədo̞ɪl/
  • /ˈkɾakədəɪl/

Where it comes from

Inherited 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.

noun 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. “In Egypt the sun is warm on the green palm-trees, and the crocodiles lie in the mud and look lazily about them.”

    Similar: croc, cockatrice

  2. A long line or procession of people (especially children) walking together. 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. A fallacious dilemma, mythically supposed to have been first used by a crocodile. We have seen syllogisms, crocodiles, enthymemas, sorites, &c. explained and tried upon a boy of nine or ten years old in playful conversation[…]
  4. Philippines, figuratively greedy or corrupt person (especially a politician or any public official)

crocodile²

  • /ˈkɹɑkədaɪl/ US
  • [ˈkʰɹɑkədaɪɫ] US
  • /ˈkɹɒkədaɪl/ UK
  • /ˈkɹakədo̞ɪl/
  • /ˈkɹakədəɪl/
  • /ˈkɾakədo̞ɪl/
  • /ˈkɾakədəɪl/

Where it comes from

Derived from the noun as a calque of Esperanto krokodili.

verb crocodiles · crocodiling · crocodiled

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

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: alligator, croc, gavial, crocodilian, caiman, gharial, saurian, reptile, black caiman, dwarf crocodile, american crocodile, saltwater crocodile, nile crocodile, mugger, saltie, spectacled caiman

Translations

Every language

noun reptile

Españolcocodrilo, crocodilo
한국어악어 ageo
日本語鰐 wani
中文鱷魚 /鳄鱼 èyú, 鰐 /鳄 è
हिन्दीमगर magar, घड़ियाल ghaṛiyāl, मगरमच्छ magarmacch
Kiswahilimamba, ngwena
Portuguêscrocodilo
Françaiscrocodile
DeutschKrokodil
Italianococcodrillo
Ελληνικάκροκόδειλος krokódeilos
Românăcrocodil
Русскийкрокоди́л krokodíl
Tiếng Việtsấu, cá sấu
العربيةتِمْسَاح timsāḥ
עבריתתנין \ תַּנִּין tanín, תמסח \ תִּמְסָח timsákh

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Cite this
MLA

"crocodile." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/crocodile. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

crocodile. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/crocodile

Chicago

"crocodile." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/crocodile.

BibTeX
@misc{crocodile_2026,
  title = {crocodile},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/crocodile},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}