caiman

American

[key-muhn] / ˈkeɪ mən /

Also cayman

noun

plural

caimans

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

caiman British

/ ˈkeɪmən /

noun

a variant spelling of cayman

"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

Etymology

Origin of caiman

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

From BBC • Oct. 11, 2024

All of the hides were from caiman and pythons bred in captivity.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 22, 2024

The costumes of the cachaceros, representing Africans, are phantasmagoric confections of old jaguar pelts, caiman skulls and peccary teeth.

From New York Times • Jan. 16, 2024

A caiman, a reptile native to Mexico, Central and South America and related to alligators, was recovered from a Philadelphia park Sunday.

From Washington Times • Mar. 9, 2023

Under one of the adult caiman’s rear legs, a baby caiman hatches from its egg, and to the left is a coral snake egg.

From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023