What Does Alligator Mean?
An alligator is a large reptile that lives in rivers and swamps in the United States and China. It has a wide, rounded snout.
It is a noun, and you can count it: one alligator, two alligators.
The alligator lay still in the sun.
A baby alligator is not much bigger than a pencil.
🔊 Pronunciation
AL-i-gay-ter
The stress is on the first part.
🗣️ Natural Examples
We saw an alligator at the wildlife park.
The alligator has a wide, round snout.
The scientist studied alligators in the swamp.
"See you later, alligator!" "After a while, crocodile!"
I used an alligator clip to hold the wires.
🛠️ How to Use It
Alligator is a common word in school and at the zoo.
- The short, friendly form is gator.
- An alligator clip is a small clip with teeth that holds wires in science.
- Crocodiles are cousins of alligators, but they are not the same animal.
- See you later, alligator! is a playful way to say goodbye.
🤝 Common Word Partners
- a baby alligator
- an alligator clip
- an alligator swamp
- alligator snout
- see you later, alligator
- gator
👯 Similar and Related Words
- crocodile: a similar reptile with a pointier snout.
- caiman: a smaller relative that lives in Central and South America.
- gator: the short form of alligator.
- reptile: an animal with scales that is cold-blooded, such as a lizard.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Spelling. There are two ls.
❌ aligator, alagator
✅ alligator
Alligator or crocodile?
❌ An alligator is a crocodile.
✅ They are different animals. An alligator has a wide, round snout. A crocodile has a pointier one.
Plural. Just add -s.
❌ alligatores
✅ alligators
💬 In a Conversation
Mia: See you later, alligator!
Sam: After a while, crocodile!
Mia: Do you know why it's alligator?
Sam: Because English heard "el lagarto".
Mia: It means "the lizard".
Sam: And English made it one word.
🕵️ Where Does It Come From?
The word comes from Spanish el lagarto (de Indias), which means "the lizard (of the Indies)". Lagarto comes from Latin lacertus, "lizard", and it is a cousin of the English word lizard.
English first used it in the 1560s. The early spellings included aligarto and alligarter. The modern alligator is recorded from the 1620s, with an extra r added to the ending.
The short form gator is recorded from 1844. The rhyme See you later, alligator dates from a 1956 song title.
💡 The OddLingo Trick
Say it quickly: el lagarto.
It sounds like a-lli-gator. English heard the Spanish words "the lizard" and turned them into one name.