alligator

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al·li·ga·tor / ˈaliˌgātər/ • n. a large semiaquatic reptile (genus Alligator, family Alligatoridae, order Crocodylia) similar to a crocodile but with a broader and shorter head. ∎  the skin of the alligator or material resembling it. ORIGIN: late 16th cent.: from Spanish el lagarto ‘the lizard,’ probably based on Latin lacerta.

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