crocodile

[ krok-uh-dahyl ]

/ ˈkrɒk əˌdaɪl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR crocodile ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of several crocodilians of the genus Crocodylus, found in sluggish waters and swamps of the tropics.

any reptile of the order Crocodylia; crocodilian.

the tanned skin or hide of these animals, used in the manufacture of luggage and accessories, as belts, shoes, and wallets.

Chiefly British. a file of people, especially schoolchildren, out for a walk.

Archaic. a person who makes a hypocritical show of sorrow.

RELATED WORDS

thug, assailant, thief

Nearby words

Origin of crocodile

1250–1300; < Latin crocodīlus < Greek krokódeilos crocodile, originally a kind of lizard, said to be equivalent to krók(ē) pebble + -o- -o- + drîlos, dreîlos worm (though attested only in sense “penis”), with r lost by dissimilation replacing Middle English cocodrille < Medieval Latin cocodrilus

Related formscroc·o·dil·oid

[krok-uh-dil-oid, krok-uh-dahy-loid] /ˌkrɒk əˈdɪl ɔɪd, ˈkrɒk əˌdaɪ lɔɪd/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for crocodile

Winston Churchill once said “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile—hoping it will eat him last.”
Tea Party Cannibalizes Cantor|John Avlon|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On another trip, a defiant caiman (a South American crocodile) devours his mosquito net.
Exploring the Amazon, While We Still Can|Darrell Hartman|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The bags themselves were covetable items as ever, relying on highest-quality material: ostrich and crocodile.
Anya Hindmarch and Stella McCartney Close London Fashion Week|Tom Sykes|September 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Luther drives a “crocodile green” Oldsmobile Toronado, “Its chrome grin stretched beguilingly and wide as the western horizon.”
‘Telegraph Avenue’: Michael Chabon on His Obsessive Novel of Fandom|Josh Dzieza|September 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Not since Crocodile Dundee graced our movie screens has a man from down under turned our world so upside down.
The Daily Beast 2010 Political Awards|Samuel P. Jacobs|December 21, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The tree righted itself, and a gleam of hope lightened Samba's mind when he saw that the crocodile was in the water.
Samba|Herbert Strang
No doubt so it would have done, had the crocodile missed its aim, but the latter had not missed.
The Young Yagers|Mayne Reid
"And Apes," came like a soft summer sigh from the bellows-mouth of the Crocodile.
The Sa'-Zada Tales|William Alexander Fraser
How do you suppose these Chulduns, living in the Caucasus Mountains, got the idea of a god like a crocodile, anyhow?
Temple Trouble|Henry Beam Piper
Their arms are made of wood, without any iron point; but some instead thereof use a crocodile's tooth.
The Pirates of Panama|A. O. (Alexandre Olivier) Exquemelin

British Dictionary definitions for crocodile

crocodile

/ (ˈkrɒkəˌdaɪl) /

noun

any large tropical reptile, such as C. niloticus (African crocodile), of the family Crocodylidae: order Crocodilia (crocodilians). They have a broad head, tapering snout, massive jaws, and a thick outer covering of bony plates

any other reptile of the order Crocodilia; a crocodilian

leather made from the skin of any of these animals
(as modifier)crocodile shoes

British informal a line of people, esp schoolchildren, walking two by two

Word Origin for crocodile

C13: via Old French, from Latin crocodīlus, from Greek krokodeilos lizard, ultimately from krokē pebble + drilos worm; referring to its fondness for basking on shingle

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

Word Origin and History for crocodile

crocodile

1560s, restored spelling of Middle English cokedrille, kokedrille (c.1300), from Medieval Latin cocodrillus, from Latin crocodilus, from Greek krokodilos, word applied by Herodotus to the crocodile of the Nile, apparently due to its basking habits, from kroke "pebbles" + drilos "worm." The crocodile tears story was in English from at least c.1400.