caiman
3
8.2
- noun
- /ˈkeɪmən/
:
caimán
- I look at that caiman, the red strobe warping across its back and the curve of the blue bottom.
- caiman (Caiman crocodilus)
- Yacare caiman
- common caiman
They came, they were bought in Louisiana and they were caiman or, or something.
- They came, they were bought in Louisiana and they were caiman or, or something.
Examples
-
"A caiman's a kind of crocodile," he says, "from Central America." "You have a crocodile?"
Fiction book (1999) -
There are no crocodiles there, only caimans.
-
" We're just going to look at the caiman, Dad. "
Fiction book (1999) -
There is no motion from the caiman, nothing.
Fiction book (1999) -
Pardon me, black caiman... largest predator in the Amazon.
-
The sides yaw and wow with the waves, and the caiman, frozen, rides up and down.
Fiction book (1999) -
In the evening, we went out to observe the night creatures: the poison dart frog, white caiman, night herons, and numerous other creatures.
Academic text (2005) -
Carefully, without using his flashlight, he began to walk the beach southwards, avoiding snakes and caimans by stepping around them.
Fiction book (1993) -
Trade in wildlife products threatens the survival of jaguars, ocelots, crocodiles, caimans, and hawksbill and green turtles.
Academic text (1990) -
In the wetlands, the caiman is often seen basking in the sun along the riverbank.
Synonyms
1
6.5
A large meat-eating reptile like a crocodile or alligator with a long snout and a strong tail
1
8.5
A large reptile that lives in water and on land like an alligator with thick armor on its belly
A large animal like a crocodile or alligator that lives in water and on land and eats meat
Compounds
A large South American lizard like a small crocodile that lives near water and crushes snails and mussels
- Specialized
A crocodile-like animal with bony ridges above its eyes that lives in rivers and lakes in Central and South America
- Specialized
A group of reptiles like small alligators found in Central and South America
A reptile like a small crocodile with bony ridges above the eyes from Mexico to Argentina
Surface Forms
Etymology
Caiman comes from Spanish caimán, which itself comes from a native Caribbean word for the animal. Because people kept using that local name for this alligator-like 'water reptile', English still uses caiman to mean this small, armored relative of the alligator.