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alligator
" Don't taunt the alligator until after you've crossed the creek."
Dan Rather

Meaning of "alligator" in the English dictionary

DICTIONARY

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD ALLIGATOR

From Spanish el lagarto the lizard, from Latin lacerta.
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF ALLIGATOR

ˈælɪˌɡeɪtə


GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF ALLIGATOR

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Alligator is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES ALLIGATOR MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Alligator

An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. The two living species are the American alligator and the Chinese alligator. In addition, several extinct species of alligator are known from fossil remains. Alligators first appeared during the Oligocene epoch about 37 million years ago. The name "alligator" is probably an anglicized form of el lagarto, the Spanish term for "the lizard", which early Spanish explorers and settlers in Florida called the alligator. Later English spellings of the name included allagarta and alagarto.

Definition of alligator in the English dictionary

The first definition of alligator in the dictionary is 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. Other definition of alligator is a similar but smaller species, A. sinensis, occurring in China near the Yangtse River. Alligator is also any crocodilian belonging to the family Alligatoridae.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH ALLIGATOR

abnegator · aggregator · astronavigator · castigator · circumnavigator · coinvestigator · congregator · conjugator · corrugator · delegator · fustigator · interrogator · investigator · mitigator · navigator · obligator · propagator · segregator · tailgater · variegator

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE ALLIGATOR

allicholy · allicin · allied · allied health professional · allied health professions · Allier · allies · alligarta · alligate · alligation · alligator pear · alligator pepper · allineation · Allingham · allis · allis shad · alliterate · alliteration · alliterative · alliteratively

WORDS THAT END LIKE ALLIGATOR

abrogator · administrator · arrogator · calculator · compurgator · divulgator · expurgator · fumigator · gator · Henry the Navigator · indagator · instigator · legator · litigator · negator · objurgator · private investigator · promulgator · subjugator · supererogator

Synonyms and antonyms of alligator in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «alligator» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR

TRANSLATION OF ALLIGATOR

Find out the translation of alligator to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of alligator from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «alligator» in English.
zh

Translator English - Chinese

短嘴鳄
1,325 millions of speakers
es

Translator English - Spanish

caimán
570 millions of speakers
en

English

alligator
510 millions of speakers
hi

Translator English - Hindi

मगरमच्छ
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

تـِمْساحٌ أَمِرِيكيّ
280 millions of speakers
ru

Translator English - Russian

аллигатор
278 millions of speakers
pt

Translator English - Portuguese

jacaré
270 millions of speakers
bn

Translator English - Bengali

নক্র
260 millions of speakers
fr

Translator English - French

alligator
220 millions of speakers
ms

Translator English - Malay

buaya
190 millions of speakers
de

Translator English - German

Alligator
180 millions of speakers
ja

Translator English - Japanese

ワニ
130 millions of speakers
ko

Translator English - Korean

악어
85 millions of speakers
jv

Translator English - Javanese

Boyo
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

cá sấu Mỹ
80 millions of speakers
ta

Translator English - Tamil

முதலை
75 millions of speakers
mr

Translator English - Marathi

मगरमच्छ
75 millions of speakers
tr

Translator English - Turkish

timsah
70 millions of speakers
it

Translator English - Italian

alligatore
65 millions of speakers
pl

Translator English - Polish

aligator
50 millions of speakers
uk

Translator English - Ukrainian

алігатор
40 millions of speakers
ro

Translator English - Romanian

aligator
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

αλιγάτορας
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

krokodil
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

alligator
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

alligator
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of alligator

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «ALLIGATOR»

Principal search tendencies and common uses of alligator
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «alligator».

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about alligator

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «ALLIGATOR»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word alligator.
1
Muhammad Ali
I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a brick; I'm so mean I make medicine sick.
2
Annie Dillard
The sensation of writing a book is the sensation of spinning, blinded by love and daring. It is the sensation of a stunt pilot's turning barrel rolls, or an inchworm's blind rearing from a stem in search of a route. At its worst, it feels like alligator wrestling, at the level of the sentence.
3
Phyllis Diller
You know you're old when someone compliments you on your alligator shoes, and you're barefoot.
4
Ryan Holmes
Every day I'd come home after school, pop the hood of my mom's car, put alligator clips on the battery, and wire into the house and go play on my computer. If I used it for too long, I'd wear down the car battery, and my mom would be all mad at me the next day.
5
Cordell Hull
Never insult an alligator until after you have crossed the river.
6
Dan Rather
Don't taunt the alligator until after you've crossed the creek.
7
LeAnn Rimes
I'm Southern, so alligator tail is pretty interesting and yummy.
8
Karen Russell
It took me the bulk of my twenties to write one book about a family of alligator wrestlers. Whereas somebody like Steve Martin is releasing his latest banjo symphony, having just completed another movie and acclaimed, best-selling novel.
9
Karen Russell
I spent most of my 20s with these alligator wrestlers in the swamps of South Florida.
10
Ben Shapiro
During the Great Depression, levels of crime actually dropped. During the 1920s, when life was free and easy, so was crime. During the 1930s, when the entire American economy fell into a government-owned alligator moat, crime was nearly non-existent. During the 1950s and 1960s, when the economy was excellent, crime rose again.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «ALLIGATOR»

Discover the use of alligator in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to alligator and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Zack's Alligator
When Bridget the alligator arrives in the mail, she's only the size of a key chain!
Shirley Mozelle, 1995
2
Alligator: A Novel
Lisa Moore’s wickedly fresh first novel—a Canadian best seller, winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (Canadian and Caribbean region), and a Globe and Mail Book of the Year—moves with the swiftness of an alligator in attack mode ...
Lisa Moore, 2007
3
Alligator
Describes the characteristics and behavior of alligators and explains why they can be dangerous.
David Jefferis, Tony Allan, 2001
4
Alfie the Alligator: A Teaching Rhyme about Comparing Numbers
A determined alligator named Alfie takes his friends on a journey to find the largest numbers.
Sandy Turley, 2008
5
Alligator Bayou
Calogero’s family is caught in the middle: the whites don’t see them as equal, but befriending Negroes is dangerous. Every day brings Calogero and his family closer to a a terrifying, violent confrontation. From the Hardcover edition.
Donna Jo Napoli, 2010
6
Alligator Blood: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of the ...
Daniel Tzvetkoff was just another Brisbane teenager working for peanuts at Pizza Hut and spending much of his spare time glued to his computer.
James Leighton, 2013
7
The Chinese Alligator: Ecology, Behavior, Conservation, and ...
Illustrated throughout and featuring the most up-to-date biological information available, this volume is a complete overview of the Chinese alligator, a conservation and cultural icon.
John Thorbjarnarson, Xiaoming Wang, 2010
8
Alligator: Saved from Extinction!
Discusses the plight of American alligators and why they are near extinction, as well as some of the ways humans can help.
Richard Spilsbury, 2008
9
The Alligator Book
Enhanced by 144 color photographs, offers a natural history of the alligator, including coverage of research, regulation, tourism, trapping, and alligator/human encounters.
C. C. Lockwood, 2002
10
Alligator
An introduction to alligators, including their size, diet and everyday behavior, which highlights differences between those in the wild and those living in a zoo habitat.
Patricia Whitehouse, 2003

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «ALLIGATOR»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term alligator is used in the context of the following news items.
1
"Fuck That Alligator": Man Killed Seconds After Mocking Gator Warning
Authorities say a 28-year-old Texas man was attacked and killed by an alligator “almost immediately” after being warned by a bystander not to ... «Gawker, Jul 15»
2
Alligator gobbles up couple's unleashed dog at Florida wildlife refuge
Mike Karris dived in right after an eight-foot alligator that snatched his dog, but failed to save the dachshund after a day of boating in Florida, ... «New York Daily News, Jul 15»
3
'Blank the Alligators': Man Dies From Alligator Attack in Texas After …
A man was killed by an alligator in Texas after he ignored both warning signs and his friends and decided to take a late night swim in a marina. «TheBlaze.com, Jul 15»
4
Tommie Woodward who was killed by alligator in Texas mocked the …
Authorities are not hunting the alligator but a private effort may be launched to capture it. Woodward had only recently come to Orange from St ... «Daily Mail, Jul 15»
5
Texas Man Defies Alligator Warnings, Gets Killed Trying To Swim
A man defied alligator warnings in Orange, Texas, only to discover what the warnings were for when it was too late. Tommie Woodward, 28 ... «The Inquisitr, Jul 15»
6
Alligator fatally attacks Texas man
A 28-year-old man is mauled to death by an alligator during a late-night swim near the Texas-Louisana border. Vanessa Johnston reports. «Reuters, Jul 15»
7
Alligator kills Texas man
ORANGE, Texas (AP) – A man was killed early Friday when an alligator attacked him during a late-night swim at a Southeast Texas marina, ... «Wink News, Jul 15»
8
Alligator Kills Man During Late Night Swim In Texas River (VIDEO)
The alligator was previously seen in the area, and signs notifying the public that swimming was off-limits were immediately posted. «Headlines & Global News, Jul 15»
9
Man killed by alligator after going for late-night swim in marina
Orange police Captain Robert Enmon told the Star Tribune that the owners of the marina recently spotted a large alligator and had put up a ... «AOL Travel UK, Jul 15»
10
Man killed in Texas alligator attack
"Please do not go swimming, there's a bigger alligator out here. Just please stay out of the water," witness and marina employee Michelle ... «WCYB, Jul 15»
REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Alligator [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/alligator>. Apr 2024 ».
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