crocodilian

[ krok-uh-dil-ee-uhn ]

noun
  1. any reptile of the order Crocodylia, comprising the true crocodiles and the alligators, caimans, and gavials.

adjective
  1. of, like, or pertaining to a crocodile.

  2. hypocritical; insincere.

Origin of crocodilian

1
crocodile + -ian;defs. 1, 2 were first recorded in 1835–40 anddef. 3 in 1625–35

Words Nearby crocodilian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use crocodilian in a sentence

  • But as the Martian Master's high call hissed again all the countless crocodilian forms in the great cone were rushing toward them.

  • The big crocodilian shape was apparently a prisoner like themselves, captured and brought down from above.

British Dictionary definitions for crocodilian

crocodilian

/ (ˌkrɒkəˈdɪlɪən) /


noun
  1. any large predatory reptile of the order Crocodilia, which includes the crocodiles, alligators, and caymans. They live in or near water and have a long broad snout, powerful jaws, a four-chambered heart, and socketed teeth

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Crocodilia

  2. of, relating to, or resembling a crocodile

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for crocodilian

crocodilian

[ krŏk′ə-dĭlē-ən ]


  1. Any of various semiaquatic reptiles of the order Crocodilia, including the alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and gavials. Crocodilians are squat, massive, and lizardlike, with long, powerful jaws, long, heavy tails, short legs, and thick, plated skin. Like dinosaurs, crocodilians are archosaurs, and their closest modern relatives are the birds.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.