alligator

UK: /ˈælɪgeɪtə^r/ US: /ˈælɪˌgeɪtɚ/ ,(al′i gā′tər)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

al•li•ga•tor /ˈælɪˌgeɪtɚ/   n. 

[countable]
1. Reptiles either of two crocodile-like reptiles of the southeastern U.S. and E China, having a broad snout.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

al•li•ga•tor  (al′i gā′tər), n. 

1. Reptiles either of two broad-snouted crocodilians of the genus Alligator, of the southeastern U.S. and eastern China.
2. Reptiles (loosely) any broad-snouted crocodilian, as a caiman.
3. Metallurgy a machine for bringing the balls of iron from a puddling furnace into compact form so that they can be handled.
4. Music and Dance [Jazz.] an enthusiastic fan of swing.

v.i. 

5. Building (of paint, varnish, or the like) to crack and acquire the appearance of alligator hide, as from weathering or improper application to a surface.
6. Metallurgy (of a rolled metal slab) to split and curl up and down at one end;
   fishmouth.

• Vulgar Latin *ille that + *lacartus, for Latin lacertus lizard
• Spanish el lagarto the lizard
• 1560–70

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

alligator / ˈælɪˌɡeɪtə/ noun

1. a large crocodilian, Alligator mississipiensis, of the southern US, having powerful jaws and sharp teeth and differing from the crocodiles in having a shorter and broader snout: family Alligatoridae (alligators and caymans)
2. a similar but smaller species, A. sinensis, occurring in China near the Yangtse River
3. any of various tools or machines having adjustable toothed jaws, used for gripping, crushing, or compacting

Etymology: 17th Century: from Spanish el lagarto the lizard, from Latin lacerta