Alligator Meaning
/ˈæl.ɪ.ɡeɪ.tə/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounEither of two species of large amphibious reptile, Alligator mississippiensis or Alligator sinensis, in the genus Alligator within order Crocodilia, which have sharp teeth and very strong jaws and are native to the Americas and China, respectively.
nounA crocodilian of the subfamily Alligatorinae.
Sentence Examples
Do you know how to tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile?
See you later, alligator.
Can you tell an alligator from a crocodile?
CEFR Practice Quiz
While walking in the swamp, we saw a large ____ lurking near the water's edge.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We saw a large ____ sunning itself on the bank of the river.
Word Origin & History
] From early Modern English alligater, alligarta, aligarto, alegarto, alagarto, from Spanish el lagarto (“the lizard”), from Latin lacertus (“lizard”), modern spelling possibly influenced by the unrelated Latin alligator (“one who binds”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Alligators and crocodiles look extremely alike.
The main distinguishing feature is the teeth. In a crocodile the teeth in its upper and lower jaws are in line, but in an alligator, when its mouth is shut, the upper teeth lie outside the lower ones."
— 2002, Maurice Burton, Robert Burton, International Wildlife Encyclopedia, page 38:
"In 1967, the federal government declared alligators to be an Endangered Species and prohibited gator hunting and the sale of hides. The alligator responded and by the mid-1970s, the reptile numbers soared to an estimated half-million."
— 2007, Bernie McGovern, editor, Florida Almanac: 2007-2008, 17th edition, page 243:
"They ran to the village screaming at the top of their lungs that an alligator was coming after them. Several of the men in Alimacani retrieved from a storehouse the tool they used to catch alligators."
— 2012, Thomas N. Tozer, Pierre's Journey to Florida: Diary of a Young Huguenot in the Sixteenth Century, unnumbered page:
"Alligators were very numerous, in fact the harbour was infested by them."
— 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 88:
"Alligatoring is a result of the sun making the top surface of the asphalt brittle."
— 2003, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Essentials of Home Inspection: Roofing, page 24:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
While walking in the swamp, we saw a large ____ lurking near the water's edge.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We saw a large ____ sunning itself on the bank of the river.