crocodilian
any reptile of the order Crocodylia, comprising the true crocodiles and the alligators, caimans, and gavials.
of, like, or pertaining to a crocodile.
hypocritical; insincere.
Origin of crocodilian
1Words Nearby crocodilian
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use crocodilian in a sentence
In crocodilians, the respiratory tract is “not as developed” as in birds, Woodruff says, and the respiratory tissue doesn’t pervade the bones.
The flying reptiles’ family tree is full of gastric pellet–expelling species, from living birds such as owls and gulls to fossilized cousins like ancient crocodilians and non-avian dinosaurs.
It was not simply another great crocodilian shape that sat upon that dais.
Astounding Stories, April, 1931 | VariousThe three men stood silent and tense as the two crocodilian monsters stopped before them.
Astounding Stories, April, 1931 | VariousAt the hall's center was a low dias, and in a semicircle around and behind it stood a half-hundred great crocodilian shapes.
Astounding Stories, April, 1931 | Various
But as the Martian Master's high call hissed again all the countless crocodilian forms in the great cone were rushing toward them.
Astounding Stories, April, 1931 | VariousThe big crocodilian shape was apparently a prisoner like themselves, captured and brought down from above.
Astounding Stories, April, 1931 | Various
British Dictionary definitions for crocodilian
/ (ˌkrɒkəˈdɪlɪən) /
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
of, relating to, or belonging to the Crocodilia
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
[ krŏk′ə-dĭl′ē-ən ]
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.
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