gavial

British  

/ ˈɡærɪəl, ˈɡeɪvɪəl /

noun

1. a large fish-eating Indian crocodilian, Gavialis gangeticus, with a very long slender snout: family Gavialidae

2. a SE Asian crocodile, Tomistoma schlegeli, similar to but smaller than the gavial

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Etymology

Origin of gavial

C19: from French, from Hindi ghariyāl

Example Sentences

The only non-caiman was a gavial resembling modern ones in India, with a long, thin snout for fish-catching.

From Reuters • Feb. 24, 2015

C. cataphractus is the common crocodile of West Africa, easily recognised by the slender snout which resembles that of the gavial, but the mandibular symphysis does not reach beyond the eighth tooth.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 6 "Coucy-le-Château" to "Crocodile" by Various

The huge reptile which threatened Helen’s safety was twenty feet in length, but the gavial sometimes attains the extraordinary dimensions of eight to nine yards.

From The Castaways by Pearse, Lolbran

A true crocodile, also, Crocodilus toliapicus, and another saurian more nearly allied to the gavial, accompany the above fossils; also the relics of several birds and quadrupeds.

From The Student's Elements of Geology by Lyell, Charles, Sir

The gavial is found in Asia—particularly in the Ganges and other Indian rivers, and is the crocodile of those parts.

From The Boy Hunters by Unknown