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crocodilian

[krok-uh-dil-ee-uh n]
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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

First recorded in 1625–35; crocodile + -ian
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for crocodilian

Historical Examples

  • The tail and hindquarters, however, proclaim the crocodilian original.

    Evolution in Art

    Alfred C. Haddon

  • Perhaps it shows a modification towards the crocodilian direction.

    Dragons of the Air

    H. G. Seeley

  • The three men stood silent and tense as the two crocodilian monsters stopped before them.

  • And beside the dais was a figure between two crocodilian guards at sight of whom Randall forgot all else.

  • Honey for bait, great steel traps with crocodilian jaws, and guns there were in the outfit.

    Monarch, The Big Bear of Tallac

    Ernest Thompson Seton

British Dictionary definitions for crocodilian

crocodilian

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
crocodilian in Science

crocodilian

[krŏk′ə-dĭl′ē-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.