caiman

Also cay·man

[key-muhn]

noun

plural

caimans 

1. any of several tropical American crocodilians of the genus Caiman and allied genera: some are endangered.

caiman

/ ˈkeɪmən /

noun

1. a variant spelling of cayman

Word History and Origins

Origin of caiman¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Spanish caimán, from Carib

Example Sentences

Fish such as wolf fish, peacock bass, and South American lungfish were especially common, accompanied by reptiles including caimans and turtles, and mammals such as capybaras, pacas, and armadillos.

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Palaeontologists in Colombia matched teeth marks on the fossilised leg bone of one of these fearsome birds to a caiman, or a crocodile-like reptile.

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"This year, there were three dead manatees, five dead buffalo. We found more than 10 caimans. We found turtles, capybaras, birds, thousands of dead fish," she said last June.

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Ash said he and the team bathed in the river at night with electric eel, caiman, sting rays, giant river otters and piranha.

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Kneeling in the boat, he was in the perfect position when the cat delivered the skull-crushing bite to the unsuspecting yacare caiman.

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